F. Miranda proposes two possible origins for this surname: an Italianization of the Greek surname Petronakis, or else a diminutive of the given name Petrone. Miranda notes that it is a surname little known in Italy, present mainly in Sicily —in the provinces of Catania, Messina, Enna (with specific areas such as Catenanuova and Regalbuto), Palermo and Caltanissetta—, with small areas of presence also in Lazio, Liguria, Piedmont and Lombardy.

G. P. Holmes agrees on the origin as a diminutive of the given name Petrone, though he specifies that it comes from medieval Greek. Holmes adds a historical detail of interest: the blessed Petronace, native of Brescia, mentioned by the historian Paolo Diacono, was the architect of the reconstruction of the Monastery of Montecassino.