The surname Piergentili is of anthroponymic origin and derives from a compound personal name. On this point F. De Laurentiis and E. Rossoni agree, relating it to the union of the names Piero and Gentile, widespread in the Middle Ages.

F. De Laurentiis further highlights the semantic value of gentile, which can mean both 'noble and courteous' and 'belonging to the same family or line', while E. Rossoni documents its historical use in compound forms such as Piergentile. In this way, the surname reflects the transformation of a compound name of an evaluative and family character into a hereditary surname.