The set of surnames Canepa, Canepari, Canevari and related variants has an origin linked to the cultivation and working of hemp, an activity of great importance in medieval Italy. According to E. De Felice, they derive from terms such as cànapa, cànepa or cànava ("hemp"), and from forms such as canapàio or caneparo, which designated the one who cultivated, worked or traded this plant. He also notes that, in many cases, these surnames can come directly from place names formed on the same root, such as Cànepa di Sori in Liguria or localities such as Canepari and Canevara in the northwest of Tuscany.

Along the same lines, sources of the Amis Alessandria/Lissondria blog explain the diffusion of the surname by the economic relevance of hemp in the past, used for the production of ropes, fabrics and other products. The etymological root goes back to the Latin cannabis, with variants such as cannapa, and the surname would have arisen both as an occupational nickname and by reference to places where this raw material was cultivated or processed.

For his part, E. Rossoni confirms these interpretations, noting that the surnames can derive from nicknames linked to the trade of rope-maker or hemp-grower, or from proximity to fields or workshops related to this activity. He also highlights its presence in Liguria, especially in the Genoa area. Taken together, all the sources agree in noting an occupational and toponymic origin, closely linked to one of the most widespread agricultural and craft activities in pre-industrial Italy.

According to P. Regati, it is the third most widespread Genoese surname (among the typical ones; Rossi and Ferrari are generic), after Parodi and Pastorino. The origin can go back to nicknames linked to the trade of rope-maker or hemp-grower (canepa). Canepa is also a hamlet of the municipality of Sori. The variant Caneva, less frequent, constitutes a Venetian lineage characteristic of the Vicenza area (especially Vicenza and Recoaro Terme).