The authors agree that this surname is of Sicilian origin and derives from a nickname based on a dialectal word. E. Rossoni notes that it comes from the archaic Sicilian dialectal term caddròzzu, meaning "fool" or "simpleton".

V. Blunda broadens this interpretation: according to his analysis, the dialectal word caddòzzu designated a "big foolish man", combining the idea of great physical size with that of little perspicacity. This double motivation —a judgement on the body and on the character— would be characteristic of the mocking Sicilian nicknames that gave rise to surnames. Blunda also highlights that the suffix -òzzu provides an augmentative and pejorative nuance, coherent with the expressive treatment typical of the Sicilian dialect.