The authors agree that this surname is typical of the province of Catania, in Sicily, and that it derives from a dialect nickname linked to the trade of grower or dealer in almonds.

E. Rossoni notes that the surname is rare and that the byname at its origin comes from the dialect term mendole, with the meaning "almonds".

F. Miranda broadens this information and indicates that the underlying dialect form is mennularu, a nickname attributed to the first bearer of the surname, itself derived from ménnule or mendole. Miranda also specifies the geographical distribution in Sicily: the surname appears in localities of the province of Catania —such as Randazzo, Mascali, Tremestieri Etneo and Paternò— and in the province of Enna, specifically at Regalbuto. Outside Sicily, Miranda records a presence in scattered areas of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna.