The authors agree that the surname is related to the Latin term laurus ("laurel"), which gave rise to the given name Laurus, consecrated in classical tradition to the god Apollo. E. De Felice notes that this connection with the personal name is only partial, since the masculine form Lauro is infrequent as a given name, while the feminine Laura did become common. De Felice considers that the surname more frequently reflects the place names Làuro —a locality found in the provinces of Caserta and Avellino— and Laurino, in the province of Salerno, all of them in the region of Campania.

E. Rossoni agrees on the possible toponymic derivation and likewise mentions Lauro, in the Avellino and Caserta areas, as a source of the surname. Rossoni adds that traces of the surname are documented in Fano —in the province of Pesaro— and in Macerata from the 16th century. As for geographical distribution, Rossoni distinguishes variants: Lauri is found across a central strip covering Umbria, the Marche, Lazio and Abruzzo, with a presence also in the Naples area; Lauro is typical of the Naples area; and Laura, very rare, appears to be proper to the province of Imperia.