According to E. Rossoni, Arcuri is most likely a surname of Greek origin. He suggests that it may derive from the Greek word arkouda (“bear”), originally used as a nickname referring to physical strength, appearance, or character traits associated with that animal. Rossoni also considers alternative possibilities, including derivation from the Lombard personal name Arculf, the Latin term arcarius (“treasurer” or “tax collector”), or the medieval names Arcurio and Arcudio, which may represent altered forms of Arcadio, meaning “native of Arcadia,” the ancient region of the Peloponnese. He notes that the surname is documented in medieval records as early as 1171.

V. Blunda likewise favors a Greek origin and derives the surname from arcùdis, a form connected to the Greek root árctos (“bear”). According to his interpretation, the name began as a descriptive nickname applied to an ancestor whose appearance, strength, or behavior evoked the bear, before becoming a hereditary surname.

Rossoni notes that the surname is particularly widespread in Calabria, especially in the provinces of Cosenza, Catanzaro, Crotone, and Reggio Calabria, as well as in western Sicily, notably in the areas of Palermo and Agrigento. Related forms include Arcuria and Arcuro.

Overall, Arcuri is most commonly regarded as a surname of Greek origin linked to the word for “bear,” preserving an ancient nickname that emphasized strength, vigor, or other qualities traditionally associated with that animal.