The surname Zamana presents, according to the main scholars, an uncertain origin open to different interpretations. E. Rossoni indicates that there is no precise etymological explanation in the available sources, though he suggests as a possibility an origin linked to the Turkish sphere, which could refer to historical contacts with populations of the eastern Mediterranean.

For his part, F. De Laurentiis proposes a more developed interpretation, noting that the surname could derive from a nickname formed from Zama, a name associated in the Middle Ages with ancient localities of North Africa. This term came to be used broadly to designate persons coming from non-European or non-Christian regions of the Mediterranean, including Arab and Turkish peoples, and could even acquire in some contexts a figurative value with the sense of "foreigner" or "outsider". Likewise, the author does not rule out that in certain cases the surname may be related to forms derived from Zanni, which would introduce a possible connection with Italian personal names.