The consulted works concur in identifying this surname as anthroponymic in origin, derived from the personal name Orlando, which belongs to the Franco-Germanic tradition. E. De Felice, E. Rossoni, and F. De Laurentiis all trace the name back to the Germanic form Hrodland, a compound whose elements point to "fame" and "boldness." All three scholars note that Orlando is an Italian form developed from Rolando, with the shift from Ro- to Or- originating in Tuscany through a process of metathesis before spreading to the rest of Italy.

The three scholars further agree on the decisive role of the literary tradition in the name's diffusion. Its use in the celebrated chivalric poems of M. M. Boiardo and L. Ariosto gave it wide popular currency from the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance onward, consolidating its presence across Italy. Rossoni additionally notes the broad diffusion of the surname and the existence of various related forms derived from the same name in different areas of the country. It is also recorded that the surname derives from the first name Orlando, itself developed from the older form Rolando.