V. Blunda considers that it is a Sicilian surname of dialectal origin, belonging to the group of phytonymic surnames —that is, derived from plant names—. He links it to the dialectal word cacicia, meaning "spontaneous plant used to dye yellow". As a surname, it could have originated in the trade of the gatherer and supplier of dye plants to the textile workshops, an activity peculiar to the Sicilian rural economy, where various wild herbs were harvested for the colour industry, fundamental in the production of cloth until the spread of industrial dyes in the 19th century.

E. Rossoni proposes a different etymology: the surname could derive from a dialectal modification of the Arabic name Hashim, or from a nickname linked to the Arabic word hashish or hashasha, which designates grass or weed. From that term also comes the modern word "assassin". Rossoni notes presence of the surname mainly in the Palermo area, with a cluster also in the Agrigento area.