E. Rossoni places the origin of this surname in the Messina area, although he also notes its presence in Calabria and Campania. He derives it from the dialectal term carnavuci, which designates the African pea, the fruit of the Lotus edulis, also known as carnabusci or curniceddi di manciari.

V. Blunda agrees in classifying it as a Sicilian surname of dialectal origin belonging to the group of phytonyms —that is, surnames derived from names of plants or vegetables— and shares the derivation from the word carnavùci with the sense of "variety of African pea". Blunda adds that, as a surname, it could have originated in the trade of the cultivator or seller of this legume, whose name evokes the geographical provenance of the crop. He notes that African peas reached Sicily through Mediterranean trade and formed part of family agriculture, with an important role in the popular diet of the island during times of scarcity.