From places named Ronchi, derived from ronco meaning "cleared land, terraced land". It is most common in northern and central Italy.

The authors agree that the surname derives from place names formed from the word ronca and its derivatives, which in different zones of the centre-north of Italy acquires various meanings: "land to be cleared or already cleared," "thicket," "terraced slope" and "hill vineyard." Its distribution is predominantly northern and Tuscan, although it is also recorded in central Italy.

E. De Felice notes that among the most representative place names are: Ronco, Ronchi, Ronchis (in the Udine area), Roncaglia and Roncaglio (in the Reggio Emilia area), Roncallo and Roncalli, Roncan (in the Belluno area), Roncade (in the Treviso area), Roncà (in the Verona area), Roncaro (in the Pavia area), Ronchetto (in the Novara area), Roncone (in the Trento area) and Ronconi (in the Verona and Belluno areas). De Felice adds that forms such as Ronco and Ronca appear sporadically also in the Naples area and in Apulia.

F. De Laurentiis broadens the list with localities such as Ronco (present in the Turin, Vercelli, Genoa, Milan, Piacenza, Bergamo, Mantua, Parma, Forlì and Verona areas, among others) and Ronchi (in the Cuneo, Asti, Savona, Brescia, Mantua, Bologna, Padua, Trento and Gorizia areas).

R. Brondolo supplies the Latin etymon roncus, with the sense of "clearing" or "land to be cleared," and underlines that the surname originally indicated the place of dwelling of the one who lived in those spots, with a presence documented in northern Italy.