The authors agree that this surname derives, most probably, from the reduced form of the Frankish name Chlodowig (Clovis), whose meaning is "illustrious warrior". E. Rossoni also notes two other alternative hypotheses: that it could come from nicknames related to the trade of maker or seller of nails, or from the place name Chiuduno, in the Bergamo area. Rossoni documents the transformation into a surname with the man of letters Johannes Baptista Chiodinus, who lived between the second half of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th.

As for the geographical distribution, Rossoni indicates that Chioda is peculiar to the Bergamo area, while Chiodi appears very widespread in the Po plain, with presence also in the Marche, Abruzzo and Lazio. Chiodini presents areas in Lombardy —between the provinces of Brescia, Bergamo, Milan, Varese and Pavia—, another between the Modena, Bologna and Ravenna areas, and a third between the Florence, Arezzo and Perugia areas. Chiodo seems to be native to the Cosenza area, although it also has presence in Lombardy. For its part, the surname is considered to be recurrent and linked to the Val Seriana, in the Bergamo area.