The authors agree that the surname presents multiple independent stems of origin (ceppi), arisen in different regions without a direct relation between them, and that its closest variants are Germanò, Germana, Germano and Germani.

F. Miranda proposes several possible etymologies. The first refers to the Latin cognomen Germanus, meaning "brother", in the sense of a full brother born of the same parents, derived from the term germen ("shoot"); in the Christian tradition it would be associated with fraternity in Christ. The second links it to the ethnic identifier "German", that is, belonging to the Germanic populations. The third connects it with the Germanic words ger ("spear") and mann ("man"), with the sense of "armed man" or "warrior".

Miranda adds that, at least for the southern stems, an origin in the Sicilian dialectal word ggirmanu or jrmanu should be considered, meaning "rye", "oats" or "field of rye", according to the Vocabolario Siciliano of Piccitto. Along the same lines, G. P. Holmes points to a Greek root with the sense of "field of rye".

According to Miranda, the surname is extended throughout Sicily, with a documented presence in the Catania, Messina, Syracuse, Enna and Palermo areas, besides appearing in other regions such as Lombardy, Piedmont, Lazio and Tuscany.