E. De Felice notes that the surname derives from the place names Sampieri —a locality in the province of Ragusa— or from its variants San Piero and San Pier, as well as from the southern demonym Samperisi. These forms are frequent especially in southern Italy, with a presence documented in zones of Campania, Apulia, Calabria, Sicily and other southern regions. He also notes a relation with the place name San Pietro, even more extended in that same area.

E. Rossoni agrees that the surname derives from the place name Sampieri, in the province of Ragusa, and places a probable line of origin in the Syracuse area. He further adds the presence of a nucleus in the Siena area, in the region of Tuscany, which would indicate that the surname has independent origins in different regions of Italy.