V. Blunda derives this surname from the Greek coràcis, "little crow", a diminutive of the Greek term for the crow. According to Blunda, the surname would have arisen as a nickname applied to an ancestor for his dark complexion, his character or another trait associated with that bird, and he considers it parallel to the surname Corica. The source places this origin in Sicily.

A genealogy forum source proposes, on the other hand, an Arabic etymology: it would derive from Quraysh, the name of the Arab tribe settled in Mecca to which the prophet Muhammad belonged. Both proposals are independent and there is no basis in the sources for establishing which prevails.