E. Rossoni notes that this surname is very rare and typical of the Ferrara area. According to Rossoni, it would derive from hypocoristic forms arisen from the aphaeresis of the name Donatello, from the Latin name Vitellus, or else from alterations of the Byzantine name Tellias.

F. De Laurentiis proposes, on the other hand, a different etymology: the surname would have as its base an original nickname formed from the Latin term tellus, meaning "earth", and would be linked to seismic movements. De Laurentiis suggests that the nickname could have been applied to a person of a particularly irascible character, or else to someone coming from zones frequently affected by earthquakes.