E. Costantini proposes a lexical etymology: the surname would derive from the Friulian term caprìz, meaning "caprice".

E. De Stefani offers a different interpretation of toponymic base: the surname would derive from Caprizzi, a place name present in the municipality of Ampezzo, in the Carnia —a mountainous region of northern Friuli, in the province of Udine—, on the road that connects Priuso with the Tramontino valley. De Stefani notes that the place name is pronounced with slight variants according to the locality: in Socchieve it is said Caprìsi and in Preone, Caprìci. Over time, this place name became a surname.

As for its geographical distribution, Costantini records it as peculiar to Gemona, while De Stefani documents it in Villa Santina, also in the Carnia, and likewise in Gemona.