The authors gathered here agree that this surname derives from nicknames and given names built on the word papa, which takes on different meanings depending on the region: "father," "uncle," "priest," "godfather," or "person of respect." It is a surname found throughout Italy.

E. De Felice notes that in southern Italy — and especially in the areas most marked by Greek and Byzantine influence, namely Sicily, Calabria, Apulia, and the Salento area (the southernmost part of the Apulia region) — the word continues the Byzantine papas (in classical Greek pápas or páppas), with the meaning of "father" extended as a title for bishops, patriarchs, and ordinary priests alike. In parts of Calabria it also carried the meaning of "uncle." Compound surnames built on this base, which are frequent in the Greek-speaking areas of Calabria, partly continue similar Byzantine and Modern Greek formations.

E. Rossoni adds that the surname is not properly Sardinian, although it is present in Sardinia, where its local equivalent is Paba. He also points to a parallel form in Greek, the surname Pa(p)pas, meaning "patriarch" or "father."

F. Miranda specifies that the surname is particularly well represented in Campania, Lombardy, Lazio, Sicily, and Apulia, with additional specific, localized areas of concentration in Marche, Piedmont, and Calabria. In Sicily it appears across all provinces, with the greatest presence in the areas of Catania, Syracuse, and Messina. It is also recorded, in line with the sources above, that the word papa can denote "father," "bishop," or "priest" depending on local tradition.