E. Rossoni notes that this surname is fairly rare and locates its main origin in the central strip of Italy, taking in Lazio, Umbria and the Marche, with another probable core in the province of Brescia. The form Meschino, by contrast, appears to be proper to the area of Itri and Gaeta, in the province of Latina. Both forms would derive from a nickname linked to poverty or indigence, since in Late Latin meschinus designated the slave assigned to the humblest tasks. Rossoni documents traces of its fixing as a surname from the second half of the 11th century.

On the origin of the nickname, the authors differ in their emphasis. Rossoni connects it directly with the social condition of misery, while R. Brondolo links it above all to the medieval epic, in particular to the character of Guerrin Meschino, hero of a popular chivalric cycle. Both perspectives are compatible: Rossoni also mentions this 15th-century chivalric romance as an analogical reference, which suggests that the nickname may have been reinforced or spread thanks to the popularity of that literary character.