The authors agree that this is a surname of toponymic type, derived from an Italian place name. S. Vannozzi specifies that the place of origin is the village of Petraroja, in the province of Benevento, region of Campania, and notes that the etymology is transparent: it means 'red stone', in reference to the colouring of the local stone.

E. Rossoni highlights that the surname is characteristic of Cercemaggiore, in the Campobasso area, region of Molise, and that it appears cited in late-medieval documents. Vannozzi complements this by noting that the presence at Cercemaggiore is documented from at least the second half of the 17th century.