E. Rossoni proposes that the surname could derive from affectionate forms of a nickname linked to the Latin word cirrus, which designates the curl or curly hair, in allusion to a physical characteristic of the bearer. According to Rossoni, the surname is distributed mainly in the Cremona area and throughout the region of Lombardy, as well as in Emilia; the variant Ceriotti, on the other hand, is concentrated in the Milan area and in the Varese area.

F. De Laurentiis offers a different etymology: the surname would reflect a nickname derived from the term cera, in reference to the beeswax used especially in the making of candles, and would have originally identified the one who dedicated himself by trade to working and trading with that material.