The authors agree that this surname has a multiple origin. E. De Felice notes that it was normally formed from place names of the type Traversa —present in the Como, Florence and other areas— and Traverse —in the Turin area—, common names to designate transversal roads or valleys, that is, secondary with respect to main routes or valleys. In some regions, De Felice indicates that it may also have as its base nicknames formed from traversa in other meanings: a horizontal pole for vines in Liguria, or else "contrariety, adversity".

E. Rossoni broadens this picture by noting that the surname may also come from the medieval name Traversus, and documents its transformation into a surname around the year 1600 with a valley captain in the Valtellina. For his part, R. Brondolo proposes a different dialectal base: the term traverso, with the sense of "stocky, robust", and highlights its diffusion in the north-west of Italy.

The surname presents multiple independent stems of origin (ceppi), arisen in different regions without a direct relation between them. De Felice observes a high frequency in Liguria and especially in Apulia; Rossoni notes specific zones in Liguria, Piedmont, the Naples area and the Bari area.