The authors agree that this surname has as its base the auspicious name Bonfante, that is, "[may he be a] good fante or fantino", where fante and fantino preserve the old or regional meaning of "child, boy; son", documented and frequent since the 11th century. F. De Laurentiis highlights that this form already appears in the vulgar tongue in that period.

A. Bongioanni notes that, understanding fante in the sense given to it by Dante —"man" (Purgatorio, XXV, 61)—, the name would be equivalent to Bonomo or Omobono. He adds that in Friuli-Venezia Giulia the Latinised form is Fanzio, from which Fanzutti derives. For his part, F. Miranda proposes an alternative etymology: the Late Latin bonus infans, "good child", with the same auspicious sense of "may you be a good child".

As for its geographical distribution, the authors agree that the surname is spread mainly in northern Italy —especially in Piedmont, Lombardy and Liguria— and in Tuscany, with sporadic presence in the centre and south. Miranda adds relevant presence in the Veneto, in the Verona area, in Emilia-Romagna, in Trentino-Alto Adige and in Sicily, where it appears in multiple provinces.