Surname of Greek-Byzantine origin, present in the province of Lecce (Otranto); also Sicilian. Rohlfs compares it with the Greek surname Kephaleas, of the family of the Greek κεφαλή ("head"). It reflects the Byzantine presence in the Grecìa Salentina. It can lose the grave accent in Argentina (Cefalia).

It comes from the Greek cefalìas, according to V. Blunda. The form derives from the Greek term for the head, cefalè, and motivated the surname as a descriptive nickname. It is parallel to the surnames Cefalá, Cefala, Cefalo and Chiofalo recorded by the author in other entries of the book, all linked to the same Greek root.