E. De Felice notes that the surname was formed from a nickname derived from the term storno (or stornello and storniolo), with reference to the starling, a very common bird. De Felice adds that in Naples the word storno also designates an irregular lottery move made after the closing of the betting office, which could have constituted an alternative motivation for the original nickname. According to this author, the surname is documented sporadically in Emilia-Romagna, while its altered and derived forms are typical of southern Italy.

R. Brondolo agrees on the link with the bird, but traces the term back to the Latin sturnus, to which he attributes the meaning of "deaf", and confines the surname to northern Italy, particularly to Emilia, where he associates it directly with the name of the starling.