The authors agree that the surname is of Greek origin and derives from a name related to the root lámpo ("to shine").

E. Rossoni derives it from modifications of the Greek name Eulampio, meaning "the one who possesses great goodness".

V. Blunda, for the Sicilian variant, derives it from the etymon Eylampés ("very radiant, bright"), formed from an expressive adjective applied to an ancestor. He notes that the root lámpo survives in the modern Italian lampo ("lightning") and in the Spanish "lámpara" (lamp), and that as an anthroponym it was applied to people of luminous presence or great social prestige, reflecting the expressive richness of the Greek lexicon adopted by medieval Sicilian onomastics.