According to E. Rossoni, the surname derives from a nickname linked to agricultural activity, in particular to the work of peasant exercised by the founding ancestor. The term zappaterra —literally "the one who digs the earth"— not only identified this trade, but could also be used in a derogatory sense to refer to an uncultured or illiterate person, a use that appears even in the work of Luigi Pirandello.

For his part, F. De Laurentiis agrees on this origin and explains that it is a compound of zappa ("hoe") and terra ("earth"), typical of nicknames and trade names related to the work of the zappatore, that is, the peasant. As in Rossoni's interpretation, he notes that the term could also take on an ironic or derogatory value, applied to persons considered rustic or little instructed, associated only with manual work in the fields.