The authors agree that this surname derives from the Latin word portarius, which designated the guardian or watchman in charge of a gate. E. Rossoni notes that the term probably alludes to the trade of the founder of the family as custodian of a city gate or of a monastery, and that the first documented transformations into a surname go back to a document of the year 1130 in the Naples area. F. Miranda adds that the word could also refer to the place of residence of the bearer, that is, the proximity to a city gate.

G. P. Holmes supplies a semantic variant of Sicilian origin: the term would have designated the porter of convents, which complements the religious sense noted by Rossoni.

As to its geographic distribution, Miranda indicates that it is a surname typical of eastern Sicily, concentrated especially in the Messina area —among them Malvagna and Roccavaldina— and in the Catania area —among them Bronte and Mascalucia—, with a presence also in the Palermo, Syracuse, Trapani and Enna areas. Rossoni further specifies nuclei in the Reggio Calabria area, the Vibo Valentia area, the Crotone area and the Catanzaro area.