E. Rossoni notes that the surname derives from a contraction of the word capitanus. The base is the term cattaneo or cattano, a medieval title granted to the small vassals, to the commanders of fortresses and castles, and to those who exercised administrative and judicial offices; derived from the Tuscan capitano or the Provençal captan. Rossoni documents its use from the 14th century: in 1378 a certain Simonolus Zanini called Cattani appears, and in 1466 Francesco Cattani de' Diaccetto, a disciple of Marsilio Ficino, was born in Florence.

V. Blunda proposes, on the other hand, a different origin for the form present in Sicily: he would derive it from the Greek Càttan, belonging to the Byzantine onomastic repertoire transmitted to the eastern area of the island. According to this hypothesis, the surname would have arisen from Greek forms that became fixed as family names in the Greek-speaking area of Sicily during the Byzantine period.

The surname therefore presents at least two independent clusters of origin: one of medieval Latin root, linked to northern and central Italy, and another of Greek inheritance, located in Sicily.