The surname De Donato has Florentine origins and should derive from the personal name "Donato" which in turn has Latin origins and means "transparent".

The progenitor of the family was a certain Fiorenzo Donati of Florence, in the XII century.

The spread of the surname is due to the Divine Comedy and occurs particularly in the Middle Ages, where in Florence the Donati became a very powerful noble family and supporter of the Guelph front, as evidenced by the towers of the same name still present in the city.