F. Miranda proposes two hypotheses for this surname. The main one links it to the Sicilian dialectal term vinnigna, meaning "grape harvest", a word that takes on different forms according to the zone: vinigna or virigna in the Ragusa area, and vindigna in the Palermo, Catania and Trapani areas. As an alternative hypothesis, Miranda suggests that it could derive from Vinigni, a surname of auspicious origin with a propitiatory sense.

V. Blunda agrees in pointing to the Sicilian dialectal origin and the etymon vinnìgna meaning "grape harvest", but adds a nuance of interest: the noun designated both the gathering of the grapes and the collective celebration that accompanied it in the Sicilian wine-growing tradition. According to Blunda, the surname could have originated in a nickname applied to a person linked to the seasonal work of the vineyard.

As for its geographical distribution, Miranda notes that the surname is present in numerous regions of Italy, with a special concentration in Sicily. Within the island, it appears more frequently in the areas of Ragusa, Catania, Syracuse, Enna, Palermo and Caltanissetta.