E. Rossoni interprets Di Lollo as a patronymic form that alludes to ancestors whose fathers bore the name Lollus. Its presence is recorded in the L'Aquila area, in Sulmona, in the Isernia area and in Rome.

V. Blunda proposes a different reading of Sicilian origin: the surname would derive from the dialectal word lollu, which means "fool, simpleton". The term is of onomatopoeic origin, imitative of foolish laughter, and was applied to the one who showed slowness of understanding or childish conduct in adulthood. The preposition di reproduces the habitual patronymic construction, although in this case the starting point would not be a proper name but a mocking nickname applied to an ancestor and then inherited as a family trait, a practice rooted in the Sicilian tradition.

Both interpretations are not necessarily mutually exclusive: the surname presents independent origins in different regions of Italy, with a patronymic cluster documented in the continental centre and south, and another of appellative base in Sicily.