The authors agree that this surname derives from the Sardinian word mugheddu, which designates the smoked mullet —a kind of fish with a spindle-shaped body— traditionally eaten in Sardinia after a brief grilling. Both note that the surname is typical of the Oristano area, with a notable presence at Samugheo (Sardinia).

E. Rossoni adds that Sardinian surnames derived from the names of fish generally have an origin coming from the mainland, although in time they have become established as surnames proper to Sardinia.

F. Miranda specifies that the surname is diffused in around 35 municipalities of several regions of Italy, among them Sardinia, Piedmont, Lombardy, Lazio and Emilia-Romagna. In Sicily, its presence is limited to the Catania area —in particular the city of the same name and Paternò— and to the Enna area, in the municipality of Centuripe.