Introduction
The history of the ocarina, like that of most musical instruments, is one of parallel developments, and many precursors, and early forms, and not all matters are agreed upon by scholars.
Donati
The standardized form of the ocarina originated in Europe, where the Italian Giuseppe Donati devised the classical form of the instrument in the mid 19th Century, introducing it in 1853. The word ocarina, thus, is of Italian origin, and means "little goose." There is some speculation on why it was first called this, some believe that it is due to a fancied resemblance to the shape of a goose's egg, while others hold that it is because it resembles the shape of a headless goose. Another theory holds that it is due to the sound of the instrument.
There is no agreement on what original Donati based his ocarinas. Some hold that they were a refinement of clay ocarinas introduced to Europe from American Indian originals, while others say that he developed them from local clay whistles or birdcalls. Whatever the case, there were earlier forms of the instrument in both the New World and Europe, as well as Asia and Africa.
New World precursors
Forms of ocarina are known to archaeologists from Mexico southward, throughout the Americas. Pre-Columbian people made clay birdcalls and various forms of ocarina-type instruments, in a variety of shapes, including those of birds and mammals.