A. Bongioanni notes that the surname derives from the given name of Celtic origin Gwinever, coming from the romances of the Round Table cycle. He also observes that the Franciscan name Ginepro could be the masculine form of the same name, and documents the variant Giunipero in Turin.

E. Rossoni agrees on the Arthurian origin of the name Ginevra, and adds that it would have reached Sicily possibly through the retinue of the Angevin court. He places it as a surname characteristic of the Caltanissetta area, with an isolated presence also in Castelvetrano, in the Trapani area.