The authors differ on the origin of this surname. E. Rossoni considers it a southern surname, with a presence in Basilicata and Campania, and notes that it could derive from place names documented as early as the 11th century, such as San Mango Cilento —in the Salerno area—, San Mango d'Aquino —in the Catanzaro area— or San Mango sul Calore —in the Avellino area. For Rossoni, the surname comes ultimately from the Greek surname Mangos.

V. Blunda, by contrast, considers it a Sicilian surname of Germanic origin, derived from the Lombard personal name Mango, linked to the root mang, with the sense of "merchant" or "trader". Blunda warns that the popular association with the tropical fruit is etymologically impossible: the Portuguese word manga entered the European languages only in the 16th century, centuries after the medieval origin of the anthroponym.

As regards Sicily, Rossoni further mentions a specific area in that of Palermo corresponding to the Mango di Casalgerardo family, of Castilian origin, which is said to have arrived first in the Naples area and then, in the 14th century, in Palermo.