P. Durante proposes a Greek origin for this surname, relating it to the term phrasso, meaning "maker of palisades".

Other authors provide, on the other hand, an Arabic etymology: the surname would derive from the construct state of the word fàraǧ, which means "joy", combined with the Arabic name of God (Allàh), with the sense of "the joy of Allah". This interpretation suggests a possible origin in the Arab influence over Sicily during the Middle Ages.

Both hypotheses are divergent and neither has the support of the other available sources, so the etymology of the surname remains uncertain.