The authors agree that this surname is Lombard and of toponymic origin. E. De Felice notes that it was formed from the place names Lonate Ceppino, Lonate Pozzolo —both in the Varese area— and Lonato, in the Brescia area.

E. Rossoni specifies that the surname is found especially in the Brescia area, where it would derive from the place name Lonato, and that it also shows specific areas north of Milan, in Varese and in Como, where the origin could be linked to the place names Lonate Ceppino or Lonate Pozzolo. Rossoni further documents that its fixing as a surname is attested from the 16th century in the Sondrio area.