The authors agree in pointing to a Greek origin for this surname. E. Rossoni indicates that Manti is characteristic of the far south of Calabria, with a documented presence in Condofuri, Montebello Ionico, San Lorenzo, Melito di Porto Salvo and Brancaleone, in the Reggio Calabria area. He further notes the existence of the variant Manto, with a presence in the Naples and Avellino areas, in the Bari area, in the Reggio Calabria area, and with the greatest concentration in the Palermo area, at Palermo and Gangi. According to Rossoni, both forms would derive from a nickname based on the Greek word mantis, manteos, with the meaning "magician, soothsayer, prophet".

G. Rohlfs specifies that this is a surname of Greco-Byzantine origin, documented in the city of Reggio Calabria and its province, with a presence in Bruzzano and the Bova area. He refers directly to the Greek μάντις, with the same meaning of "magician, soothsayer", and observes that the form Mantis survives as a surname in Greece. For Rohlfs, this surname reflects the Byzantine presence in southern Italy.