The authors agree that this surname derives from Italian place names: Nocera Inferiore and Nocera Superiore, in the Salerno area, and Nocera Terinese, in the Catanzaro area.

E. De Felice notes that the form Nocera is concentrated in southern Italy, with a notable presence in the Naples area, while the variant Nucera predominates in Calabria.

E. Rossoni specifies the geographical distribution in greater detail. He indicates that Nocera is fairly widespread in the south, with an important core in Campania, a possible presence in the Salento area —that is, the southernmost zone of the region of Puglia— and between Calabria and Sicily. For its part, the variant Nucera shows specific areas of concentration in the Reggio Calabria area —in localities such as Condofuri, Melito di Porto Salvo, Bova Marina and San Lorenzo— and in the Caltanissetta area, particularly at Mussomeli, with additional presences at Palma di Montechiaro, in the Agrigento area, and at Messina.