The authors agree that this surname derives from a nickname of Greek origin, although they differ in some formal details. E. Rossoni notes that it comes from the expression Condò Loýces, which would mean "the short Luca", indicating that the founders of the lineage bore the name Luca and were of short stature.

V. Blunda specifies the Greek form as Condòloýces —"Luca the short"— and clarifies that the Greek ypsilon is realised in this case as u. He analyses the term as a compound of the prefix condo-, meaning "low, short", joined to the personal name Luca. Blunda frames this surname within a series of compounds with that same prefix, such as Condifòdero, Condolèo and Condonato, all documented in his work.

As for the geographical distribution, Rossoni identifies two zones of presence: a small one in the Imperia area —with localities such as San Remo and Ventimiglia, in the region of Liguria— and another more significant one in the Reggio Calabria area, in Calabria, with presence in Melicucco, Polistena, Rosarno and Cinquefrondi. Blunda, for his part, places the surname in Sicily.