The authors agree in noting that this surname is of Sicilian origin and that one of its main etymological hypotheses links it to the Greek term milici, which designates millstones, thus alluding to the activity of miller practised by the ancestor who originated it. Both relate the surname to the place name Rodì Milici, in the Messina area, as a probable point of departure.

E. Rossoni specifies the geographical distribution of the surname in Sicily, noting its presence at Catania and Paternò, Menfi, Regalbuto, Montagnareale and Patti, Palermo and Belmonte Mezzagno, and Syracuse.

F. Miranda incorporates an additional hypothesis of Latin origin: the surname could derive from milites ("soldiers") or from miles ("warrior"), which would suggest a connection of the original bearer with a military role or community. Miranda also notes that the surname, although concentrated in Sicily —especially in the Messina, Catania and Palermo areas and in the Enna area (Regalbuto, Nicosia, Leonforte)—, is likewise found in regions such as Lombardy, Liguria, Lazio, Piedmont, Tuscany, Puglia, Calabria and Veneto.