E. Rossoni notes that the variants of this surname —Fabbri, Fabbris, Fabbro and Fabris— all derive from the Latin term faber, a trade name that designated the artisan in general, from the blacksmith to the carpenter or the mason. He adds an important regional precision: in the Veneto, the variant Fabris does not refer to the trade of blacksmith but to that of mason, since the equivalent of blacksmith in Venetan corresponds to the forms Favero, Favaro or Faveri.

As for the geographical distribution, Rossoni indicates that Fabbri is spread throughout the centre-north, with greater concentration in Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany; Fabbris is peculiar to the north, especially to the Turin, Milan, Padua and Venice areas; Fabbro is concentrated in the northeast of Italy, in the regions of Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Trentino-Alto Adige, with greater presence in Friuli-Venezia Giulia; and Fabris is also characteristic of that same northeast zone, with a possible specific presence in the Milan and Varese areas.

F. De Laurentiis agrees that the base is the nickname and trade name fabbro, meaning blacksmith, and confirms its diffusion in the centre-north, especially in Emilia-Romagna. For his part, P. Canè reinforces the identification of the surname with the trade of blacksmith, noting its equivalence with Smith in English and Schmidt in German.