E. De Felice notes that this surname originates in the ethnic nickname Furlàn or Furlano, documented in Venice during the 13th century under the Latin forms Furlanus, Forlanus and lo Furlan. That nickname comes from the Venetan and Friulian Furlàn, meaning "Friulian", that is, "inhabitant or native of Friuli", and over time became a surname. De Felice highlights that in Trieste, Furlàn together with Furlani constitutes the most frequent surname in alphabetical order.

F. De Laurentiis agrees on the gentilic origin of the surname and on its epicentre in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, although he specifies that its presence extends in a sporadic way throughout Italy.