E. De Felice holds that the surname derives from the medieval name Ghètto —documented in Florence in 1059 as Ghectus and in the 13th century as Ghettus—, a hypocoristic of diminutives and affectionate forms such as Arrighétto, Gherardétto or Ughétto. In the Emilia-Romagna area, he notes that it could also derive from the place name Ghétto Randuzzi, in the province of Forlì-Cesena.

E. Rossoni agrees on the origin from the medieval name Ghetto, but adds an alternative hypothesis: that the surname may be an aphaeresis —that is, the loss of the initial syllables— of surnames ending in -ghetti. Rossoni places this surname as typical of the Romagna area.