E. Rossoni and V. Blunda differ on the origin of the surname.

Rossoni suggests that it derives from nicknames originated in the term rapa. He documents it from the 16th century with a certain Petrus Ravanellus, a writer.

Blunda, on the other hand, for the Sicilian variant derives it from the Germanic personal name Ravan, linked to the root hraban ("raven") in a phonetic variant with the loss of the initial aspirate, characteristic of the Romance adaptations of the anthroponym. He notes that the Italian suffix -elli is a diminutive or patronymic formant, productive in the formation of medieval surnames.

Blunda considers a cross-etymology the popular interpretation that associates the surname with the Italian ravanello ("radish, edible root"): the botanical name derives from the Latin raphanus through Low Latin, without relation to the previous Germanic anthroponym, linked to the bird consecrated to Odin.