The authors differ on the origin of the surname. E. Rossoni derives it from the Arabic khalifa, a term that designated the caliph, that is, the supreme chief of the territory, the vicar of the king or the podestà. According to Rossoni, the surname is concentrated mainly in the region of Campania, with a presence also in the Potenza area, in Basilicata, and in Rome, in Lazio.

V. Blunda, on the other hand, proposes a Greek origin: he derives it from califanès, composed of the root kal-, "beautiful, handsome", and the root of the verb "to appear", with the meaning of "one who appears resplendent". According to Blunda, the term functioned as a nickname applied to the ancestor for his luminous bearing, and its area of diffusion is Sicily. The variant Alifano would reflect a graphic adaptation of the same etymon.