The authors agree that Badalamenti is a Sicilian surname of Arabic origin, derived from a personal name of the Islamic tradition.

E. Rossoni considers as the most likely hypothesis that it derives from the medieval name Badalamenti, a popular adaptation of the Arabic name Abd Al-Amin, meaning "servant of the Faithful", an epithet of the prophet Muhammad in Islam. He does not rule out a derivation from the Arabic name Abd Al-Aman, meaning "servant of the Faith". He also mentions an interpretation that links it to the trade of organiser of the mourners at funerals.

V. Blunda presents it as one of the most widespread derivatives of the Islamic theophoric names in Sicilian onomastics. He derives it from the etymon ‘abd al amān, meaning "servant of peace, servant of safety", an Arabic personal name that was preserved on the island after the Muslim rule (827–1091). The variants Badolamenti and Baltamenti reflect the phonetic changes produced in the transmission of the original etymon.