The authors agree that the surname was formed from a nickname or personal name derived from the month of April.

E. De Felice specifies that it has as its base an original nickname —and later a now-old personal name— formed from the month of April, given in most cases to a child born in that month. He compares this use with that of other months among the most common names, such as Maggio, Luglio, Settembre or Settembrino. He notes that the surname is widespread throughout the south.

E. Rossoni adds that the medieval name Aprile was given with an auspicious sense to children, in reference to the beauty and vitality of that spring month. In some cases it may be a surname attributed to newborns abandoned in that month.