E. Rossoni proposes that the surname would derive from a dialectal nickname based on the term candùscia, which in the local dialect designates a long tunic, referring probably to the garment that the founder of the lineage used to wear. Rossoni places the origin in Sicily, specifically in Ribera, in the Agrigento area.

V. Blunda agrees in noting a Sicilian origin and a link with the textile sphere, but proposes a different etymology: the Arabic term qatūš, meaning "front piece" or "sleeveless garment". According to Blunda, the surname would have functioned as an occupational nickname applied to tailors or makers of such garments.

Both hypotheses share the semantic field of clothing and the appellative nature of the origin, although they differ in the linguistic base: while Rossoni points to a Romance dialectal root, Blunda postulates an Arabic etymology, consistent with the strong influence that this language exerted on medieval Sicilian.