The authors differ both on the origin and on the geographical distribution of this surname. E. Rossoni proposes a derivation from the medieval name Barthaeus (Bartius), documented in the 15th century in relation to a musician from the Arezzo area. According to Rossoni, the surname presents clusters in the Treviso area, in Fabro —a locality in the Terni area— and in the Viterbo area.

V. Blunda, on the other hand, considers it a Sicilian surname of dialectal origin, linked to the dyeing industry. It derives from the dialectal word barzì, which designates the wood used in the processes of dyeing fabrics. As a surname it would have arisen from the trade of those who supplied colouring materials to the textile workshops, a relevant activity in medieval Sicily within Mediterranean trade. Blunda notes that the reduced form of the surname suggests an etymon of foreign origin assimilated into the Sicilian dialect.

Both proposals are independent of each other and point to different regions and motivations, so it is possible that the surname presents independent stocks of origin arisen without direct relation to each other.