E. Rossoni explains that this surname derives directly, or through dialectal modifications by loss of the initial syllable, from the name of good omen Benvenuto, borne by the founder of the surname. Along the same lines, B. Zuanella notes that the base is the name Benvenuto, with the meaning of "much desired child, born on purpose".

The surname presents multiple independent stems of origin (ceppi), arisen in different regions without a direct relation between them. Rossoni documents the form Venuti in the Udine area, in the Florence and Arezzo area, in Rome, in Apulia and in Sicily —especially in the Messina area—. The form Venuto appears in the Messina gulf area, with a probable presence also in the Udine area. The variant Venutti is recorded in the north-east of Italy, in the regions of Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Trentino-Alto Adige.

Zuanella adds that the surname is quite diffused in Friuli and that it remained present in the Tarcento area. He also notes its arrival in the locality of Clenia, in the municipality of San Pietro al Natisone, from Tarcento at the beginning of the 19th century.