E. Rossoni notes that this surname derives from the Sicilian dialectal term vintaloru, which designates a kind of cloak or mantle. Rossoni places the form Ventaloro as specific to the Catania area, while the variant Vintaloro appears in Corleone, in the Palermo area.

V. Blunda agrees on the Sicilian dialectal origin and on the word vintalòru, which he describes more precisely as the wide shawl worn by men in traditional Sicilian dress of the 18th century. Blunda adds that, as a surname, it could have originated in a nickname of occupational character, applied to one who devoted himself to the making of warm garments.