A. Bongioanni notes that Mansueto is a given name of Latin origin and self-evident meaning, of an auspicious character. He mentions a sainted bishop of Milan of the 7th century, celebrated on 19 February, and observes that, despite meekness being a Christian virtue par excellence, the name saw little use. He considers that the surname Mansuino, proper to Piedmont, could derive from this same base.

E. Rossoni places the origin of the surname mainly in the area comprising Bari, Taranto and Brindisi, in the region of Puglia. According to Rossoni, the surname derives from the Latin cognomen Mansuetus or from its medieval equivalent Mansueto.