The authors differ on the origin of this surname. E. Rossoni proposes two main hypotheses: a derivation from archaic words such as bischero or biscaro ("peg" or "foolish person"), of especially Tuscan use, or a variant through the exchange between b and v of the Germanic name Wiscard. Rossoni also notes that the Sicilian cluster could derive from the place name Biscari, the old name of the locality of Acate, in the Ragusa area.

V. Blunda proposes instead a Greek origin: the term Biscaris would designate a kind of wild herb, and the surname would have arisen as a nickname referring to the ancestor for his residence in an area where that plant grew or for a trade linked to its gathering, later becoming a surname along the family line.

As for the geographical distribution, Rossoni indicates that the surname is very rare, with occasional presence between the Viterbo and Rome area, in the Gargano (Puglia) and in the Ragusa area (Sicily). The form Biscaro, on the other hand, seems to be peculiar to the Veneto, with presence also in Piedmont and Lazio.