The authors agree that the surname derives, directly or through hypocoristic forms, from the medieval name Ghiro or Ghironis, or else from nicknames related to the term ghiro ("dormouse"), a small rodent with thick grey fur and a long tail, known for its long winter torpor but also for its voracity and agility.

E. Rossoni notes that the surname shows specific and isolated areas of presence in Italy: between the Modena and Reggio Emilia areas, in the Rovigo area, between the Ravenna and Forlì areas, and in the Rome area. Among the related variants, Ghirotti is characteristic of the area comprising the Rovigo, Ferrara, Ravenna and Forlì areas, while Ghirri is typical of the Reggio Emilia area.

Rossoni adds that the variant Ghironi, present in Sardinia and especially in the Cagliari area, could derive from the Sardinian term ghironi ("bends in the road" or "meanders of the river"), perhaps alluding to a geographical feature of the founding ancestor's place of origin.