F. De Laurentiis proposes that the surname derives from the Latin term cogo, with the sense of "to gather" or "to congregate", and notes that it designated the one who drove the cattle —that is, the shepherd— or the one who gathered people.

For its part, the Surnames in Italy source places the surname in the Veneto, with particular presence in the Vicenza area, and suggests as the most probable etymology a Venetan dialectal base, possibly linked to the term cogo —"cook" in some northern dialects— or to a microtoponym. This source clarifies that the surname does not figure as an autonomous entry in the classic Italian onomastic repertoires consulted, so that the proposed etymology must be considered indicative. It also notes its kinship with the form Cogoi, peculiar to Friuli-Venezia Giulia and documented by E. Rossoni.