E. Rossoni notes that the surname derives from the Germanic name Giro, Gironis. In a later addition, Rossoni adds that the form Girotto, proper to Veneto, could derive from the Venetian term giro or the Veronese gira, which designate the dormouse (a small rodent). Geographically, the surname shows specific areas in the Marche —in the area between Civitanova Marche, Monte San Giusto and Fermo— and in the Bologna area.

F. De Laurentiis, for his part, proposes a different etymology: derived from the name Giri.