E. De Felice notes that this surname derives from the old form Soave, a variant of Svevia (Swabia), a historical region of the south-west of Germany, and from the demonym svevo (in German Schwaben and Schwabe). The Suebi, an old Germanic population known to the Romans from the 1st century BC and called in Latin Suebi or Suevi, arrived in Italy together with the Lombards and later with the Franks and the German kings. The demonym soave already appears as a second name or surname in the 12th and 13th centuries.

E. Rossoni documents the surname in 1163 in the Diplomatic Code of Brescia, and agrees with De Felice on its use as a second name before the year 1000. Rossoni locates zones of presence in the Verona area, in the south of the Frosinone area and possibly in the Asti area. Both authors agree that the surname may also derive from the place name Soave, frequent in northern Italy, with variants in the Cuneo, Mantua and Verona areas. De Felice adds that in Jewish contexts it may represent the calque of the Hebrew naim, with the meaning of "soft, kind, propitious."