The authors agree that the surname derives from the Greek personal name Chrysanthos, which means "golden flower" (from chryseos, "of gold", and anthos, "flower"). This name was adopted in the imperial period also in the Latin forms Chrysanthus and Chrysantus, and gave rise to medieval variants such as Crisantus, Grisantius and Grisandus.

E. De Felice notes that the name Grisanto or Crisanto was especially common in southern Italy during the Middle Ages, in particular in the Greek-speaking areas and those of Greek tradition. He documents its presence in Molfetta during the 12th and 13th centuries.

E. Rossoni identifies independent clusters of origin in different regions: one in the Palermo area, another in central Italy and another in the Reggio Emilia area. For the last of these, he notes that the surname derives from the Latin form Grisantus, documented in the writings of the friar Salimbene de Adam —born in Parma in 1221—, who mentions a blessed Grisanto originally from Reggio Emilia.