The surname Orabona is of anthroponymic origin and derives from a medieval auspicious name such as Horabona, Horabonus or Orabonus, formed from the expression ora buona ("favourable hour"). On this point E. De Felice and E. Rossoni agree, noting that it was a name granted to long-awaited children or to those for whom fortune and happiness were wished, within an onomastic tradition of an auspicious character.

Along the same lines, both authors document its use as early as the Middle Ages, which confirms its subsequent transformation into a hereditary surname. E. Rossoni further adds an alternative hypothesis that links some variants with a possible Lombard origin (Auribano), although this interpretation is secondary to the predominant auspicious explanation also noted by E. De Felice.