The authors agree that this surname derives from the ancient Greek given name linked to the root gheorgós (γεωργός), which means "peasant" or "worker of the land". F. Miranda specifies the chain of transmission: from ancient Greek Gheorgòs it passed to the Byzantine Gheorghios, then to Late Latin Georgius and to the form Georgio, from which Giorgio derives. A. Bongioanni notes that this name is the Greek equivalent of the Latin Agricola, and that its spread is linked to the cult of San Giorgio, martyred in the year 303, celebrated on 13 February.

Miranda highlights among the direct variants: Giorge, Giorgelli, Giorgia, Giorgilli, Giorgetta, Giorgetti, Giorgi, Giorgini, Giorgino, Giorgis, Giorgitto, Giorgiucci and Giorgiutti. Bongioanni documents an extensive network of dialect forms: from the Venetan De Giorio derive Giorato, Giorin, Giurati and Giuria; from the southern and also Piedmontese form Iorio, Iorietti; from the Venetan Zorze arise Zorzi, Zorzet, Zorzut and Zorzenon; and from Friulian are recorded Zors, Zuarz and forms such as Zut, Zuz and Zuzzi, these last coinciding in Friulian with the term zus, which means "owl".

Bongioanni also notes convergences with other names in some variants: Zin, Zinato, Zinelli and their derivatives converge with Lorenzo and Vincenzo, while Gino and its forms do so with Ambrogio, Biagio, Eligio and Luigi. From the Piedmontese Giors, proper to the Val di Susa, derives the Vercelli surname Giorcelli.