The authors agree that this surname has Greek roots and derives from the term chamelós (χαμηλός), meaning "low", applied originally as a nickname referring to the short stature of the bearer. G. Rohlfs notes it as a surname of Greek-Byzantine origin, documented in the province of Catanzaro —in the Pizzo and Vibo area— and in the province of Reggio Calabria, in the locality of Laureana, with presence also in Sicily; he indicates besides that in Greece the form Chamelòs survives. E. Rossoni places it especially in the Vibo Valentia and Reggio Calabria areas, and proposes that it derives from the medieval nickname or name Camillò, a Greek-Italian equivalent of surnames such as Basso or Curcio, without ruling out that in some cases it comes from the old name Camillo.

V. Blunda links the etymon to the root chamai, "low, on the ground", noting parallels with forms such as Camaló and Cami, and confirms its original functioning as a nickname that later became a family surname. A. Bongioanni, on the other hand, approaches the surname from a different perspective: he associates it with the Latin given name Camillus, whose etymology he considers uncertain, recalling that the camilli and camillae were free young people who assisted the priests in religious rites. He also notes that the surnames Milli —peculiar to Abruzzo— and Millo —from Piedmont— seem to him of evident etymology, derived from the same stem.