F. De Laurentiis proposes a toponymic origin: the surname would derive from the place name Crisci, a locality of the province of Caserta.

V. Blunda, on the other hand, maintains a Greek etymology: the surname would come from the Greek crysìas, "goldsmith", and would have arisen as a professional nickname applied to the one who exercised the trade of gold craftsman. Blunda relates it to the Greek root crys-, "gold", and links it to parallel forms such as Crisà, recorded in the Sicilian sphere with the same etymological base.

Both proposals are incompatible with each other and none of the sources reconciles them, so they are presented as independent interpretations.