E. De Felice notes that this surname derives from the toponymic type Terranova —and also from the variants Terranuova and Terrenove—, place names frequent in southern Italy, with a presence in various provinces of the south, including the regions of Campania, Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily, among others.

E. Rossoni specifies that the surname would derive from several concrete place names, such as Terranova da Sibari or Terranova Sappo Minulio, both in Calabria. According to Rossoni, the surname is typically Sicilian, with independent stems also in Calabria and in the Naples area. As for the variant Terranuova, he considers it almost non-existent and attributes its appearance to transcription errors.