E. Rossoni proposes two possible origins for this surname. On the one hand, it could derive from a Germanic place name, Corapia, in reference to the counts Von Corapia of the 10th century; on the other, it could be related to the Spanish name Corapia. Rossoni also adds that the term corapi would correspond in Calabrian to "crow", derived from Greek.

P. Durante agrees with the Greek root and notes that the surname refers to the Greek korax, which means "crow". Geographically, the surname seems peculiar to the Catanzaro area, in Calabria, with presence especially in the municipalities of San Sostene and Davoli.