E. Rossoni notes that this surname derives from the term protopapa, which in the sphere of the Orthodox Church designates the first priest of the ecclesiastical hierarchy, the equivalent of a kind of archpriest of the Byzantine rite. Etymologically, it is a calque of the Greek protopapas, composed of proto ("first") and papas ("priest"). Rossoni considers that the surname is Italian but probably of Albanian or Greek-Albanian origin, which agrees with the historical presence of Italo-Albanian communities in southern Italy that preserve the Orthodox faith and the Greek-Byzantine rite.

G. Rohlfs agrees on the Greek-Byzantine origin and on the etymology from the Greek protopapàs ("archpriest"), with the same components proto- and papàs, the latter interpreted specifically as "Orthodox priest." Rohlfs broadens the geographic distribution by noting its presence not only in the Salento area —the southernmost zone of the region of Apulia, in southern Italy—, but also in the Calabrian and Sicilian dialects and in Naples.

As to the concrete geographic distribution, both authors place the surname mainly in the Lecce area —with localities such as Alessano, Casarano and Martano, among others— and in the cities of Taranto and Brindisi. Rossoni further adds Gagliano del Capo, Matino, Racale and Alliste, while Rohlfs incorporates Alezio, Gallipoli and Taurisano.