E. Rossoni notes that Cipria has its main area in Troina, in the province of Enna, with some presence in the Naples area. He also indicates the existence of the variant Ciprio, very rare and documented only in the Naples area. Both forms would derive from the Latin gentilic cyprius / cypria, referring to the island of Cyprus, the probable place of origin of the founders of the lineage.

F. Miranda agrees on the etymology and adds that the surname comes from the Latin ethnic Cyprus, the name of the Mediterranean island that in Antiquity was consecrated to Venus, goddess of beauty and love, it being probable that Cyprus was the land of origin of the founding ancestor. Miranda offers a more detailed geographical distribution: the surname is found in Sicily and Lombardy mainly, with smaller groups in Campania, Lazio, Abruzzo, Emilia-Romagna and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. In Sicily, he documents a cluster in Troina and presences in Regalbuto and Catenanuova, as well as in localities of the Catania, Messina and Syracuse areas.