According to E. Rossoni and F. Miranda, Barberi is an occupational surname derived from the profession of barber, one of the oldest and most important trades in medieval and early modern society. Historically, barbers did much more than cut hair and shave beards. They often performed minor surgical procedures, including tooth extractions, bloodletting, and other basic medical treatments, functioning in many respects as practitioners of lower-ranking medicine.

E. Rossoni notes that the surname originated as a designation for someone who practiced this trade and points out that, in some cases, it may also be connected with the place name Barberi in the Pescara area. He places the surname primarily in central Italy.

F. Miranda agrees with the occupational origin and describes a broader distribution throughout Italy, with significant concentrations in Sicily, Lazio, Tuscany, Piedmont, Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Calabria, and Liguria. In Sicily, the surname is particularly present in the provinces of Messina, Syracuse, Palermo, and Enna.

Both authors also identify Barberi as part of a larger family of related surnames, including Barberis, Barbiero, Barberio, Barbera, and others, all derived from the same occupational root connected with the medieval barber-surgeon.

Overall, Barberi is an occupational surname that originally identified a barber, a professional who combined grooming services with medical and surgical duties, preserving the memory of a trade that played an essential role in everyday life for centuries.