The authors agree that Impallomeni is a surname of Sicilian origin, with its greatest presence in the Messina and Catania areas, and that it derives from a nickname linked to physical characteristics of the first bearer.

E. Rossoni proposes two etymological hypotheses with a Greek base: the first relates it to the Greek empallomène, with the sense "of slender build, tall and thin"; the second links it to the Greek mpalloménos, meaning "patched". The variant Impallommeni, of almost isolated occurrence, is attributed to a transcription error.

F. Miranda agrees on the Greek origin and on the form mpaloménos, citing Rohlfs and D. Macris in support. Miranda broadens the geographical distribution within Sicily, noting localities in the Messina, Catania, Palermo, Syracuse, Agrigento and Enna areas. He further adds that the surname is documented outside Sicily, in Lombardy, Tuscany, Lazio, Campania, Piedmont, Liguria, Veneto and Molise.