The surname Queirolo would have its origin in a nickname derived from the Latin word querolus or queirolus, whose meaning is "complaining" or "plaintive."

According to various authors, this byname would probably have been attributed to an ancestor of peasant condition, characterized by his attitude of complaint in the face of the abuses or conditions imposed by the local lords. As in many other Italian surnames, it is a designation based on a trait of behaviour or character.

The surname presents a strong link with the Ligurian area, particularly with the zone of Coreglia Ligure, in the Val Fontanabuona, from where it would have spread to other localities of the region.

Among the notable bearers of the surname is the Genoese sculptor Francesco Queirolo (1704–1762), author of the celebrated statue of Autumn in the Trevi Fountain in Rome. Also remembered are figures such as the painter Giulio Queirolo, the physician and senator Giovan Battista Queirolo, and Nicola Queirolo, who served as mayor of Coreglia Ligure in the mid-20th century.