E. Rossoni notes that this surname, together with its variant Senfetti, is typical of the north-east of Piedmont. Both forms would derive from a nickname or name originated in the medieval Frankish Germanic word senifti, with the meaning of "gentle, meek," possibly to highlight the character of the first bearer.

F. Miranda broadens the geographic distribution and indicates that the surname also appears in Sicily —in zones of Syracuse, Catania, Messina and Enna— and in Lombardy. He further records the variant Senfett, possibly a transcription error, present in the locality of Centuripe. Miranda agrees with Rossoni on the Germanic etymon senifti and adds that the Germanic origin could be reinforced by the similarity with surnames such as Senftenberg.