The authors agree in pointing to a Greek origin for this surname, although they differ on the precise root. G. Rohlfs and V. Blunda derive it from the Greek ktenàs / ctenàs, which designates the craftsman maker of combs or the comber, a trade that would have functioned as a nickname before becoming a surname. Rohlfs specifies that the surname is of Greek-Byzantine root, present in the province of Reggio Calabria —especially in Condofuri, the Bova area and Mèlito—, with an extension into the provinces of Cosenza and Catanzaro; it also appears in Naples and in Sicily. He also notes that in Bova, a Greek-speaking area, the members of the family were called Attinàoni.

G. P. Holmes agrees with the Late Greek etymology and translates it as "the one who combs", mentioning the parallel with the modern Greek surname Ktenàs. P. Durante, on the other hand, proposes a different root, the Greek aktè, with the meanings of "beach" or "baker". For his part, E. Rossoni suggests a different origin: he derives the surname from the Latin name Attinus or Attina, and recalls the existence of an old poem titled Attinus, attributed to the emperor Nero. Rossoni documents the surname in various forms in the areas of Catania, Messina, Reggio Calabria, Foggia, Avellino, Naples, Trieste and Turin.