The authors agree that this surname derives from a nickname of Greek origin, based on the term armàos, meaning "uncultivated" or "untilled". E. Rossoni specifies that the term comes from the ancient Greek émeros ("cultivated"), to which the privative prefix a- is added to indicate absence of cultivation. V. Blunda notes that the nickname alluded to the ancestor for his rough character or his lack of formal education, and that over time it became a surname along the family line in the onomastics of southern Italy.

Rossoni locates the surname in Sicily, with presence in Palermo, Licodia Eubea in the Catania area, and Mistretta and Sant'Agata di Militello in the Messina area. Blunda also confirms its Sicilian rooting.