E. Rossoni links this surname with the trade of barber: the archaic word figaro had precisely that meaning. According to Rossoni, Figari is very rare and typical of the Genoa area, especially of Rapallo and Camogli.

P. Regati proposes a different etymology: the surname would derive from Bana, an old locality of the valley of Rapallo situated between Recco and the Val Fontanabuona. The original form was Ficari, and would have arisen from the fact that its bearers transported figs (fichi) from their valley towards the coastal villages. Regati also notes that a family branch moved towards the Veneto and towards the zone that corresponds to the present-day region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.