E. Rossoni proposes that this surname derives from a dialectal nickname based on the archaic Sicilian term calèca, which designates a variety of plum of small dimensions, and notes that this term would have an Arabic origin, coming from the word hawaiha. Its geographical presence is concentrated in Sicily: Castellammare del Golfo in the Trapani area, Palermo, Partinico, Santa Margherita di Belice in the Agrigento area, and also in localities of the Messina area such as Patti, Torrenova and Montagnareale.

V. Blunda agrees on the Sicilian dialectal origin and on the meaning of calèca as a variety of plum, but broadens the interpretation: the surname could have arisen as a nickname applied to the cultivator or vendor of that fruit, or else from a microtoponym referring to one who lived near cultivations where it abounded. Blunda also frames the surname within the group of Sicilian surnames linked to specific fruit varieties, such as Allia —associated with a variety of grape— or Pricoco —referring to the early apricot—, which reflects the richness of the traditional fruit-growing of the island.