E. De Felice and E. Rossoni agree that the surname Gigante derives from the medieval personal name and nickname Gigante, meaning “giant.” It originally referred to a person of remarkable height, strength or imposing physical appearance, and later became established as a hereditary surname. Like many medieval nicknames, it could also allude more generally to notable personal qualities associated with size, vigor or social presence.

E. De Felice notes that the surname originated from this descriptive nickname and became particularly widespread in southern Italy, especially in the Naples area and in Apulia. E. Rossoni likewise traces both Gigante and its related forms to the same medieval nickname, transmitted through direct inheritance or through hypocoristic and derivative forms.

Rossoni records a broad distribution of the surname throughout Italy. The form Gigante is found from the Udine area in northeastern Italy to large portions of central and southern Italy, including Abruzzo, Lazio, Campania, Apulia, Basilicata and Sicily. Related variants display more localized distributions: Giganti occurs in areas such as Pavia, Viterbo, Rome, Potenza and parts of Sicily, while Gigantino is characteristic of the Salerno area. The form Gigantini is extremely rare.

Overall, Gigante is a surname of nickname origin, derived from a medieval term describing a person of exceptional stature or imposing appearance. Its wide diffusion throughout Italy reflects the popularity of descriptive surnames based on easily recognizable physical characteristics.