The authors agree that the surname derives from the Piedmontese dialectal term garbè, although they differ in its interpretation. F. Miranda links it to a bodily characteristic of the first bearer of the surname, understanding it as a byname that over time became a surname. R. Brondolo, on the other hand, proposes that garbé is the dialectal name of the golden oriole —a songbird also known as rigogolo—, ruling out at the same time an alternative hypothesis that would connect it with the Latin cribrum ("sieve").

According to Miranda, the surname is distributed in several regions of Italy, with greater presence in Piedmont and Liguria, followed by Lombardy, Lazio, Abruzzo, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Tuscany. In Sicily it is recorded in the Enna area, specifically in the locality of Catenanuova.