The authors agree that the surname refers to the Latin term cella, although they differ in the scope and the contexts of origin that they propose.

E. De Stefani focuses his analysis on mountainous Friuli: the surname derives from the place name Cella —known in the locality of Forni di Sopra at least from the 13th century, where in local speech it is pronounced Siéla— and is linked to the medieval sense of a store of products of the field or of the activity of the Alpine summer pasture. The same place name appears in other areas of Friuli, such as in Ovaro. Over time it became a surname, documented in Forni di Sopra from the end of the 16th century and in Verzegnis from the middle of the same century. De Stefani records it also in other communities of the Carnia —a mountainous region of northern Friuli, in the province of Udine—, such as Paularo and Tolmezzo.

E. Rossoni proposes a broader and more differentiated picture. The surname can derive from place names such as Cella —present in the Reggio Emilia and Forlì areas—, Celle —Ravenna area— or Celle sul Rigo, in the province of Siena. It can also have a professional origin, alluding to the trade of tavern-keeper or cellarman, from the medieval Latin cellarius, that is, the one who managed the cella vinaria. A third possibility is that it is an affectionate form of compound surnames such as Simoncelli or Monicelli, or an aphaeretic form Cello of names such as Baroncello or Simoncello. Rossoni notes presence of the surname throughout Italy, with specific areas in the Veneto and in the area between Genoa, Parma, Piacenza and Lodi.