E. Rossoni proposes that this surname could derive from an archaic dialectal form of the Rovigo area, related to the old Venetan term squaena, which designated a kind of dogfish whose skin, covered with hard tubercles, was used as sandpaper in the rough working of wood, especially in the construction of boats. The nickname would have alluded, according to Rossoni, to someone linked to work in shipyards. The areas of presence he notes are concentrated in Occhiobello, Fratta Polesine and Pincara, in the Rovigo area.

F. De Laurentiis, on the other hand, proposes a different appellative base: the nickname squaiato, referring to one who has slipped away without being noticed, that is, someone who has escaped skilfully or disappeared without leaving a trace before the one who pursued them. From this nickname form the surname would have developed.