E. De Felice notes that this surname derives from the proper name Tiziano —with the more popular variant Tizzano—, which continues the Latin cognomen of the imperial period Titianus, in turn derived from Titius and this from the very ancient praenomen Titus (see Tito). As for its distribution, De Felice indicates that it is sporadic in mainland Italy, while the variant Tizzano has a greater frequency in the Naples area.

F. Miranda agrees on the origin from the proper name Tiziano, though he frames it within the gens Titia, noting that the name meant "belonging to the gens Titia" and was frequent in noble or patrician families of ancient Rome. Over time, according to Miranda, the name evolved until it became a surname in Italy. This author also records the variants Tiziani, Tizzani, Tizzanini and Tizzano.

As for the current geographical distribution, Miranda describes a presence concentrated mainly in northern Italy, in particular in Veneto and Lombardy, with relevant frequencies also in Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Piedmont, Lazio, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige, Campania, Liguria, Apulia and Marche. In Sicily, the surname appears in the Trapani, Palermo, Catania and Enna areas.