F. De Laurentiis derives this surname from Piccini (regional variant: Pizzini). It may also be the formation of a surname from an original nickname formed from pizzetto, 'a tuft of beard, shaved on the cheeks and ending in a point on the chin'.

For his part, V. Blunda proposes an interpretation of Sicilian dialect origin, linking it with pìzzu ('point', 'peak'), which suggests a possible minor toponymic origin, applied to those who lived near a rise or prominent point of the terrain. In this way, the surname may reflect both a descriptive designation and a reference to the geographic environment.