The authors agree that this surname has roots in the vocabulary related to the trade of baker or oven-keeper. F. Miranda proposes that it could be a variant of the surname Furnari, or a dialectal corruption of it, and derives both forms from the medieval word fornarius / fornaro, in turn coming from the Greek phournares, meaning "baker". Miranda notes a presence distributed between Sicily, Lombardy and Piedmont, with greater concentration in Sicily: in the Catania area —in localities such as Biancavilla and Castel di Judica—, in the Enna area, the Caltanissetta area, the Palermo area and the Syracuse area.

V. Blunda, on the other hand, treats it as a Sicilian surname in its own right, derived directly from the Sicilian dialectal word furnèri, "oven-keeper, baker". Blunda specifies the historical context of the term: it designated the artisan in charge of the communal oven of the village, where each family brought its dough to bake it, a practice that endured in the interior of the island until well into the 20th century. According to this author, the surname would originate in that specific trade.