The scholars consulted agree that the surname Lorenzo derives from the Latin given name Laurentius, itself linked to the ancient city of Laurentum, in the region of Lazio. It is also recorded that Laurentius functioned as an adjective indicating provenance from that city, which according to tradition was founded in a place rich in laurus (laurel). On an alternative reading, Laurentius would derive directly from laurus, carrying the meaning "he who is crowned with laurel."

F. Miranda notes that the surname is widely distributed across the Italian peninsula, with particular concentration in Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Lombardy, Piedmont, and Sicily, and with notable presence in the areas of Salerno and Potenza, as well as in the Salento area — the southernmost part of the Apulia region, in southern Italy.

A. Bongioanni highlights the religious dimension of the name: the most venerated bearer is Saint Lawrence, a martyr in the year 258, patron of many cities and celebrated on August 10. Bongioanni further observes that the variant forms Laurenti and Lorando are characteristic of Piedmont, reflecting the influence of the French Laurent, while the forms Ronzatti, Ronzi, Ronzon, and Ronzoni belong to Friuli-Venezia Giulia and to the Cadore area, where the vowel shift from e to o is not uncommon.