According to E. Rossoni, Barnaba is a patronymic surname derived from the personal name Barnabas, of Hebrew or Aramaic origin. The name comes from the expression bar nàbìah, meaning “son of prophecy” or “son of the prophet,” and is associated with Saint Barnabas, one of the earliest Christian missionaries and a prominent figure in the Acts of the Apostles.

Rossoni notes that the surname is particularly established in Puglia, especially in the provinces of Bari, Taranto, and Brindisi. He also records the variant Barnava in Friuli, resulting from the common interchange of the letters b and v in local dialects.

F. De Laurentiis agrees with this interpretation and adds that the personal name had largely fallen out of everyday use by the time it became a hereditary surname. He emphasizes the role of Saint Barnabas—originally known as Joseph of Cyprus—in spreading Christianity throughout the eastern Mediterranean, which contributed to the diffusion of the name.

G. Rohlfs highlights the Greek-Byzantine transmission of the name and documents the surname in Calabria and the Naples area, linking it to the Greek form Βαρναβᾶς (Barnabás).

V. Blunda likewise points to a Greek-Byzantine origin and explains that the name entered Sicilian onomastics through liturgical tradition and the Eastern Christian calendar. He also notes that variants such as Barnabei and Bernava represent regional adaptations of the same original name.

Overall, Barnaba is a patronymic surname derived from the ancient biblical name Barnabas, meaning “son of prophecy,” and reflects the enduring influence of Christian and Byzantine traditions in Italy.