The square has two names, a more modern one dedicated to the brothers Attilio and Emilio Bandiera, two patriots who died with Domenico Moro in Cosenza in 1844 (their remains are kept at the Church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo), and an older one derived from the name of the small island, Bragora or Bragola, on which the square’s Church of Giovanni Battista was built. 

This island was one of a string of islands that also included San Martino, San Lorenzo and San Severo, which are believed to be dedicated to the Cult of the Dioskouroi (Castor and Pollux). There are also different theories as to why the island was called Bragora: some believe it derives from Bragola, and ancient province of the Orient, while others believe it to come from the word bragolare which means to fish, yet others say it comes from the markets held here called bragole, from the Greek agorà, or from the Arabic word b'ragal referring to two heroes (Castor and Pollux); a final possibility is that it derives from the word brago, which means mud, and gora, stagnant water.