E. Rossoni notes that the surname derives from the medieval name Senatore, adopted as a sign of honour and prestige in allusion to the homonymous political office. Its presence is characteristic of Cava de' Tirreni, Nocera Superiore and Salerno, with lines also in Calabria. The variant Senatori, much rarer, seems to correspond to the Florence area.

A. Bongioanni, on the other hand, approaches the name from a hagiographic perspective: he records two saints with this name —both bishops of the 5th century—, venerated in the diocese of Milan, and concludes that in that context the name did not give rise to surnames.