The authors agree that the surname derives from nicknames linked to the trade of miller or of worker in a mill, from the medieval Latin term farinarius. F. De Laurentiis adds that the base can refer also to other related trades, such as that of baker, or to characteristics peculiar to the person thus denominated.

On its distribution, De Laurentiis notes that the surname is spread throughout Italy, with greater frequency in Lombardy and in general in the north. E. Rossoni confirms that extended presence throughout the territory and details in addition the distribution of some variants: Farinelli is found mainly in the centre-north, with greater concentration in the strip that covers Romagna, the Marche, Umbria and Lazio, and with specific zones also in the Sassari area and in the Naples area.

Rossoni specifies that Farinetti is peculiar to the area comprising the Turin, Cuneo, Asti, Alessandria and Genoa areas. Farinati, on the other hand, presents a specific zone in Verona and in Rovereto —Trento area— and another in Mirano, in the Venice area.