Its place of maximum frequency is the province of Udine, in the Alpine region of Friuli.
The first documented use of "degano" as a substantive is observed in the epic poem "Hildebrandslied" of langobardic origin, written in Old High German with Old Saxon elements and dates back to c.ca 800 AD.
It could also derive from a dialectal use of the latin title "decanus", or indicating the leader of a type of Swiss-Alpine territorial division "degagna".
Degano (Dean in Friulian) is also a river having its source at 1039m a.s.l in the Carnic Alps in the comune of Forni Avoltri.
Notable people with the surname include: Paolo Diacono, Historia Langobardorum, FV, II, 4, 6, 7.