E. Rossoni notes that this surname, little widespread, presents two main zones of presence: one in Calabria, from the Catanzaro area to that of Reggio Calabria, and another in the Cuneo area, around Mondovì. According to Rossoni, it would derive from a medieval Gallicism, chiero, which meant "blond" or "of fair complexion". In some cases he also considers possible a toponymic derivation, from places such as Chieri, in the Turin area, or Monchiero, in the Cuneo area.

P. Durante proposes, on the other hand, a Greek origin of an ecclesiastical character, from the term klerikòs, linked to the clergy, which would point to a nickname or denomination related to the religious function of the original bearer.