The authors agree that this surname is linked to the term camera, although they differ in the origin and the geographical distribution. E. Rossoni notes that it could derive from one of the numerous place names that contain that root, such as Camerana in the Cuneo area, or Camerano in the Ancona and Asti areas, or from the trade of servant in charge of the lordly chamber. Rossoni documents the surname distributed throughout Italy in its form Camera, with specific presence in the Padua area for the variant Cameran and in the Ravenna area for Camerani.

V. Blunda proposes for the Sicilian sphere a Greek root: camàra, which designates a room with a vaulted ceiling. According to Blunda, the term would have functioned originally as a nickname applied to the ancestor for his place of residence, and over time became a family surname. The author notes as a parallel form the Sicilian surname Camaroto.