The surname Barca presents a multiple origin, with possible derivations both toponymic and professional and onomastic. According to E. Rossoni, it can derive from the numerous place names containing the root barca, or from a nickname related to the trade of the founder of the lineage, linked in some way to boats or associated activities. He also raises the possibility of an Italianisation of names such as the Provençal Barachel or the Phoenician-Turkish Barak ("lightning"), from which even the surname of the Carthaginian general Hannibal Barca would derive. He also documents its antiquity in medieval sources, such as the Peace of Eleonora of 1388 in Sardinia and the Condaghe of Santa Maria di Bonarcado (11th–13th centuries).

For his part, F. De Laurentiis notes that the surname has as its base the noun barca, highlighting its multiple meanings in Italian: a small boat, a set of sheaves of wheat or cereals, or even, in a figurative sense, the whole of the family, the work or the affairs ("to keep the barca going"). This semantic diversity broadens the possible interpretations of the surname beyond the strictly maritime sphere.

Taken together, both perspectives agree in pointing to a complex and polysemic origin, where the surname may have been formed from a place, a trade or a nickname linked to various aspects of medieval daily life. This variety of meanings reflects the richness of the Italian onomastic tradition and the possibility of independent origins in different regions.