The authors agree that this surname derives from the Latin name Columbus / Columba, whose meaning is "dove", a symbol of use prior to Christianity. A. Bongioanni notes that the surname exists also among Jewish communities, where it functions as a translation of the Hebrew name Jona. He adds that Saint Columba, an Irish missionary and apostle of Caledonia of the 6th century, is celebrated on 13 December.

E. Rossoni specifies that the surname and its variants can derive from the Late Latin name Columbus, Columba, from its hypocoristic Columbinus / Columbina, or from nicknames related to place names such as Colombano —in the Rovigo area— or San Colombano —in the Milan area—. He adds that in the province of Milan it was customary to assign the surname Colombo to abandoned children, in allusion to the dove symbol of the Ospedale Maggiore, a practice that became a rule until 1825.

As for its distribution, Rossoni indicates that Colomba presents specific areas in the Turin and Cuneo areas, in the Udine area, in the Lecce area and in Sicily —Trapani, Palermo and Catania areas—.