E. Rossoni notes that this surname derives from a nickname linked to the presence, in the place of dwelling of the founder of the lineage, of a carobbio, an old form that designated a crossroads of four roads. He considers that the surname is of very scarce appearance and seems peculiar to Piedmont.

R. Brondolo agrees on the toponymic-descriptive origin and specifies that the nickname was applied to people who lived at a crossroads or junction of four roads, placing the surname in northern Italy in broader terms.