The authors differ both on the origin and on the area of distribution of this surname. G. Rohlfs considers it of Greek-Byzantine origin, present in Reggio Calabria and its province, as well as in Caulonia and in the areas of Bianco and Riace. He links it to the current Greek surname Arkadis (Ἀρκάδης), equivalent to the Italian Arcadio, associated with the Greek region of Arcadia, and interprets it as a reflection of the Byzantine presence in southern Italy.

V. Blunda, on the other hand, considers it a Sicilian surname of Arabic origin, a legacy of the Muslim administrative structures in Sicily. He derives it from the etymon al qadi, meaning "the judge", the name of the Islamic magistrate who administered justice according to Quranic law. Blunda notes that this same root gave rise to the Spanish term "alcalde".

Both proposals are independent of each other and correspond to different regions —Calabria and Sicily—, so the surname presents multiple independent stocks of origin (ceppi), arisen in different regions without direct relation to each other.