The authors agree that this surname derives from the demonym Tartaro, an alteration of Tàtaro, a term that from the Middle Ages designated not only the members of the Mongol peoples who in the 13th century invaded eastern Europe from Asia, but also, in a generic way, the various non-European and non-Christian peoples of eastern Europe and the Mediterranean, including Turks and Arabs. On occasion the term took on the figurative meaning of "barbarian" and, in the south, that of "Muslim converted to Christianity".

E. De Felice notes that the surname appears sporadically in Italy, with a high frequency only in the Emilia-Romagna region, where the variants Tartari and Tartarini also appear.