The surname Zampieri is interpreted, according to the main scholars, from a clearly anthroponymic origin. E. Rossoni notes that it derives from the name Giampiero, a compound form very widespread in Italy, and documents its historical use through figures such as the painter Domenico Zampieri, active in the 17th century in Bologna, which evidences the antiquity and consolidation of the surname in the artistic and cultural sphere.

For his part, F. De Laurentiis explains its formation as a compound of Zanni (a dialectal form linked to Giovanni) and Pietro, in the same way that Giampietro arises from the union of Giovanni and Pietro. This interpretation allows the surname to be understood as the result of the fusion of two very common personal names, a frequent feature in medieval Italian onomastics.