E. Rossoni places this surname clearly in Veneto, with a presence in the Padua, Vicenza and Rovigo areas. He proposes two hypotheses of toponymic origin: it could derive from the name of the Val Gusella, in the Vicenza area, or from the Cima Gusella, which rises above the village of Cismon del Grappa, also in that same area. As a third possibility, Rossoni mentions a derivation from acucella, a term alluding to a needle.

F. De Laurentiis proposes, by contrast, an appellative origin: the base would be a nickname from gusella or guscella, meaning "tiny house or boat".