The authors agree that the surname derives from the proper name Eliseo. A. Bongioanni notes that it is a given name of Hebrew origin that means "God is health", corresponding to one of the prophets gathered in the Catholic calendar, whose feast is celebrated on 14 June. E. Rossoni adds that the Greek form of the name is Elyseos, and specifies that its use as a personal name refers mainly to the second prophet of Israel, successor of Elijah, rather than to the Elysian Fields of pagan mythology.

As for the geographical distribution, Rossoni identifies specific zones of presence in the region of Campania —concretely in the provinces of Naples and Caserta—, another in the Rome area, and possibly a third in the Trapani area. Bongioanni, for his part, mentions that the surname Elisei corresponds to a family of which one branch adopted the name of Alighieri, and that the compound Antolisèi derives from the fusion with Antonio.