E. Rossoni proposes that this surname would derive from the Greek surname Kolokas, which, in turn, would be a variant of the name Nicola. Rossoni considers it typically Calabrian, with presence concentrated in the Vibo Valentia area, especially in the localities of Mileto, Cessaniti and Briatico.

V. Blunda, for his part, derives it from the Greek còllocas, a form that he identifies as a derivative of the Greek onomastic repertoire with an ending characteristic of Byzantine Greek in -as. According to Blunda, this form was transmitted to eastern Sicily and became fixed as a surname in the Greek-speaking tradition of the island during the period of medieval Greek presence.

Both authors agree in noting a Greek origin for the surname, although they differ in the area of rooting: Rossoni places it in Calabria, while Blunda links it to Sicily. This geographical divergence suggests that the surname could present independent clusters of origin in different regions of southern Italy.