According to E. Rossoni, Attolini derives from the medieval name Attolinus, documented in 1191 in the Codice Diplomatico Bresciano. The surname belongs to the broad group of patronymic surnames formed from medieval personal names later transmitted as hereditary surnames.

V. Blunda proposes a complementary explanation, linking the surname to the old Germanic name Adalin, a diminutive form derived from the root adal or athal, meaning "nobility" or "noble lineage". According to this interpretation, the Italian suffix -ini has a patronymic value and indicates belonging to a family or descent. Blunda adds that the phonetic transformation of Adalin into Attolini could be explained by processes of consonant assimilation characteristic of medieval Italian linguistic evolution.

Taken together, the various interpretations agree in placing the origin of the surname in an old personal name of medieval tradition, probably related to Germanic roots associated with nobility, and later transmitted as a family surname.