G. Rohlfs considers it a surname of Greek-Byzantine origin, documented in Reggio Calabria and in the province of Cosenza, in localities such as Fuscaldo and Paola. He notes that in the Calabrian dialect sbanu (also spanu) means "beardless" or "hairless," and derives it from the Greek σπανός, referring to the word Spano as a related form.

E. Rossoni places the surname in specific zones of Apulia —in the province of Brindisi, particularly in Carovigno and San Vito dei Normanni— and also in Paola, in the Cosenza area, thus agreeing with Rohlfs on this last point. Rossoni proposes several etymological hypotheses: a possible Italianization of the Gothic name Spane, a derivation from the Albanian Saban or from the Hebrew name Shebaniah. However, he considers it more probable that it is a dialect form of a nickname based on the term spano, with the same meaning of "beardless" or "hairless" that Rohlfs notes.

Both authors agree, therefore, that the most plausible explanation points back to a nickname of Greek base referring to the lack of beard or facial hair, although Rossoni also contemplates other alternative etymologies that Rohlfs does not mention.