E. De Felice notes that this surname is frequent in Lombardy and in Emilia-Romagna, and that it has as its base a nickname formed by the northern dialectal word co, meaning "head", combined with bianco, "white". It was applied to persons with white or grey hair, and corresponds to the southern surname Capobianco.

E. Rossoni specifies the geographical distribution in greater detail: he identifies a zone in Lombardy, in the Milan and Pavia areas; another in Emilia-Romagna, in the Parma area and between the Bologna and Ferrara areas; and a third in the Veneto, in the Rovigo area. Rossoni also records the variant Cobianco, with specific presence in the Milan and Rovigo areas. He agrees that both forms would derive from dialectal nicknames alluding to the founder of the lineage, probably grey-haired, that is, of "white head".

F. De Laurentiis reproduces in essence the same etymological explanation as De Felice, without adding new geographical or linguistic information.