E. Rossoni proposes that the surname could derive from a nickname linked to the old Italian term gabbanella, a diminutive form of the archaic gabbano (a smock or short garment). He notes that the exchange between b and v, characteristic of some dialects of northern Italy, explains the variant gavanella. With this word a kind of jacket was designated, although the term was also used to refer to someone lazy or idle, or to a frivolous and overly talkative person.

F. De Laurentiis, on the other hand, interprets the base as a trade name: gabbanella would designate the white collarless overall peculiar to doctors and nurses, which suggests an origin linked to the one who made or wore that garment.

As for its distribution, Rossoni indicates that the form Gabanella is very rare and is located in the Rovigo area; Gabanelli, equally scarce, seems peculiar to the Bergamo area; and Gavanelli is concentrated in Imola, in the Bologna area.