E. Rossoni notes that this surname derives from an Emilian dialectal nickname meaning "deceiver" or "trickster". He also does not rule out that it may be an altered form of the term sganzerla, which alludes to someone lanky or of great height (see Ganzerla). Rossoni places it as peculiar to the Rovigo area and the Ferrara area, with special presence in Ferrara and in Voghiera.

F. De Laurentiis proposes a different base: the Venetan term ganzo, which means "hook". According to this interpretation, the original nickname would have designated the one who made and sold hooks of various types —wall hooks, fishing hooks, among others— or the one who had the habit of "hooking himself" into businesses or situations of everyday life. Both readings point to an occupational or behavioural origin.

The two proposals differ in the lexical base: Rossoni refers to the Emilian sphere and to a moral sense of the term, while De Laurentiis links it to the Venetan lexicon.