F. Miranda proposes that it is an ethnic surname derived from the Sicilian name of Sortino (Sciurtinu), a comune in the province of Syracuse, whose denomination goes back to the Arabic Shortin, which means "watchtower, lookout post"; the surname would have originally designated someone coming from that locality. E. Rossoni, on the other hand, derives it directly from the Arabic word shurtih, with the sense of "sentinel, guard," without linking it to a specific place name. Both proposals converge on an Arabic etymon related to surveillance or custody.

As to the geographic distribution, Miranda notes that the surname has its main nucleus in Sicily, present in all its provinces —especially in the Palermo, Agrigento, Messina, Trapani and Enna areas— and with a smaller presence in Lombardy, Piedmont, Lazio, Tuscany, Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto and Campania. Rossoni specifies that it is typical of western Sicily, and records its transformation into a surname in Castelvetrano from 1700, with the notary Giuseppe Sciortino. He adds that the form Sciorto, practically unique, corresponds to the Catania area.