G. Rohlfs places this surname in southern Italy, with presence in the cities of Catanzaro and Reggio Calabria, in the Crotone area —province of Catanzaro— and in Molochio —province of Reggio Calabria—, in addition to Sicily. He derives it from the Greek χρυσαφούλλιον, a diminutive of χρυσάφιον ("gold"), and interprets it as a reflection of the Byzantine influence in southern Italy.

V. Blunda, for his part, circumscribes the surname to the Sicilian sphere and derives it from the Greek crysafulles, a form with a diminutive suffix on the root crys- ("gold"). Blunda integrates it into a family of surnames that share that same Greek base, together with Crisafi, Crisalli and Crissi.

Both authors agree, then, on the Greek origin of the surname and on its root meaning "gold". The difference lies in the geographical reach: Rohlfs documents it both in Calabria and in Sicily, while Blunda treats it exclusively as a Sicilian surname.