The authors agree that the surname Cattaneo derives from the Latin capitaneus, a term that designated in the Middle Ages a local authority in feudal or communal contexts, equivalent to "chief" or "captain". It is, therefore, a surname of functional origin —linked to an office— and not toponymic.

E. Rossoni notes that Cattaneo is etymologically related to the surnames Cattani, De Capitani and Capitanio, all derived from the medieval office of capitaneo, and documents its presence in letters of the Duke of Milan and in notarial deeds of the time. Rossoni also indicates that its historical diffusion is concentrated in Lombardy, especially in the Bergamo and Milan areas.

The surname is considered to be native to northern Italy, with historical presence in Milan, Como, Lecco and Bergamo. It is also clarified that Cattaneo has no relation to the place name Catania: the phonetic similarities have generated confusion, but the surname responds to an administrative or noble function, not to a Sicilian geographical origin.

Rossoni highlights as a notable bearer Carlo Cattaneo (Parabiago, 1801–1869), a central figure of the Risorgimento who drove the Five Days of Milan in 1848 and went into exile in Lugano, where he died without accepting any parliamentary office because he refused to swear fidelity to the House of Savoy.