F. Miranda notes that this surname originates in the Campanian dialect word lùppëca, which designates the hoopoe, a bird with a long curved bill, an erectile crest and plumage of contrasting colours. Miranda also points to a second possibility: that it derives from a nickname linked to the wolf. G. P. Holmes agrees in noting the dialect origin, citing the Neapolitan word luppeca with the same meaning of "hoopoe".

As for its geographical distribution, Miranda indicates that the surname is concentrated predominantly in Sicily, where it is present in the provinces of Messina, Catania, Palermo, Syracuse, Ragusa and Caltanissetta, as well as in the Enna area, with a presence in localities such as Gagliano Castelferrato, Regalbuto, Leonforte and Troina. Outside the island, it appears in small groups in Lombardy, Calabria, Piedmont, Lazio and Tuscany.

Miranda likewise records the compound form Lupica Spagnolo, located almost exclusively in Sicily, with a presence in comuni of the provinces of Messina and Enna, and at Ispica, in the province of Ragusa. The component Spagnolo could derive from the name of the Spanish nation or indicate an origin in, or a link with, Spain.