E. Rossoni proposes that the surname would derive from the Greek name Gorgones —the Gorgons were winged mythological monsters, the most famous being Medusa— or from the Roman name Gorgonius, documented in the Rerum gestarum of Ammianus Marcellinus. He also considers possible a derivation from the Latin feminine name Gorgonia, attested on an ancient gravestone. Saint Gorgonius, a martyr under the emperor Diocletian, is likewise recalled.

G. P. Holmes points, more briefly, to a Greek root with the sense of "monster", and tentatively suggests a possible connection with French in the sense of "abyss", a hypothesis he does not develop.

As for its geographical distribution, Rossoni notes that the form Gorgone appears to be proper to Sicily, with a presence in the Catania area —in Bronte and Catania—, in Palermo and in the Messina area —in Naso and Capo d'Orlando. The variant Gorgoni would be characteristic of the Salento area —that is, the southernmost zone of the region of Puglia, in southern Italy—, especially in the Lecce area and also in that of Brindisi. The form Gurgone, regarded as a variant of dialect origin, is likewise Sicilian, documented in Nicosia, Biancavilla and, in the Messina area, in Ucria and Messina. The form Gorgonio is extremely rare.