Brunello is a diminutive form of the name Bruno, which itself originates from the Old High German word 'brun', meaning 'brown'. The name Brunello is notably associated with a Saracen thief character in the Italian epic Orlando poems, written by Boiardo and Ariosto in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. This character is a significant figure in the romantic epics 'Orlando innamorato' and 'Orlando furioso', where he is depicted as a cunning and resourceful dwarf.