E. Rossoni notes that the surname is typical of the Cuneo area and derives from the place name Revello, located in that same province. He adds that the transformation into a surname is recorded in Varallo, in the Vercelli area, in the 17th century, with the name of Pietro Paolo Revelli.

R. Brondolo agrees on the toponymic origin from Revello, a locality near Saluzzo, in Piedmont, but goes deeper into the etymology of the place name: he derives it from roa, a Celtic word that designates a landslide or scree. Brondolo also mentions the hypothesis of an alteration of the Latin ribellis, although without developing it.

N. Bergamo proposes instead a different origin: the surname could derive from the Germanic name Rewald or Rewold, composed of the roots that mean "counsel" and "power." He places it diffused in Liguria and Piedmont, with documentation in the Catasto intemelio.