E. De Felice, E. Rossoni and P. Regati agree that the surname was formed from a nickname or trade name linked to port work, derived from the Ligurian dialect verb that means "to split, to cleave, to open."

De Felice specifies that schiappa- is the Italianization of the Ligurian sciàpa of the verb sciapà ("to split, to open by cleaving or unnailing"), and that casse designates the boxes: the compound would indicate "one who splits, who opens the crates."

Rossoni adds that it is a surname specific to the Genoa area, especially of Genoa, Camogli and Rapallo, and that it would seem to be native of the Neirone area. He derives it from the trade of port or warehouse worker: that is, one who in dialect sciàpa or scèpa ("breaks or opens") the boxes of the packages transported by the ships on their arrival at the warehouses.

Regati agrees on the etymology and cites the form scciàppa of the verb scciappâ ("to cleave, to open by cleaving or unnailing"), with the same occupational sense.