E. Rossoni notes that this surname is characteristic of Sicily, with presence peculiar to the Catania area, in localities such as Paternò, Belpasso, Biancavilla, Mascalucia and Gravina di Catania. According to Rossoni, it would derive from a nickname of Greek origin based on the term kiseris ("pumice stone"), probably to identify the place of provenance of the founders of the lineage or their trade as gatherers of that stone.

V. Blunda proposes a different etymology: he derives it from the Greek clìsaris, which corresponds to the liturgical formula "have mercy on me", peculiar to the Byzantine religious tradition. According to Blunda, the surname would have arisen as a crystallisation of that ritual use, applied to an ancestor known for his devotional practice in the Eastern rite.

The two etymologies proposed are incompatible with each other and respond to different approaches: Rossoni points to a lexical origin linked to a trade or place, while Blunda connects it with the Greek liturgy of Byzantine influence, whose imprint on Sicily is historically documented. There is no consensus among the authors on the origin of the surname.