F. Miranda notes that this surname, together with the variant Cirnigliaro, has a Sicilian dialectal origin and comes from the term cirnigghiu or cirnigliu, which designates a sieve, riddle or strainer used to separate the grain from the husk or to sift flour. According to Miranda, both forms very probably derive from a nickname linked to the trade of the founding ancestor of the lineage, who made or sold these utensils.

V. Blunda agrees on the Sicilian dialectal origin and on its relation to a craft trade, although he records the form cinnigghiàru as the base word, with the explicit meaning of "maker of riddles". Blunda adds that this trade was indispensable in the context of the Sicilian latifundium, where riddles of different meshes were essential for the processing of the grain after threshing. He also observes that the surname forms a pair with Cerniglia —which designates the object itself—, following a habitual pattern in Sicilian occupational onomastics that distinguishes the tool from the craftsman who produces it.

As for its geographical distribution, Miranda indicates that Cernigliaro is typical of Sicily, with presence in the provinces of Trapani, Palermo, Ragusa, Catania, Messina, Agrigento, Syracuse and Enna. The variant Cirnigliaro, less widespread, is concentrated mainly in the Catania areas —with localities such as Vizzini, Militello in Val di Catania and Palagonia— and Ragusa, with additional presence in the Syracuse, Caltanissetta and Palermo areas.