The authors agree that the surname has a Greek origin and derives from the term ravdás (Greek ραβδί), linked to the word that means "staff, rod." F. Miranda specifies that it is a surname of a professional type (epangelmatico), probably related to the trade of the first bearer of the surname.

E. Rossoni notes that Ravida would be an erroneous transcription of Ravidà, and that the correct form could derive from the Greek surname Ravdàs. Rossoni places Ravida as a very rare variant, proper to eastern Sicily, while Ravidà is concentrated in the Messina area, especially in Castroreale, Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto and Mandanici.

Miranda broadens the geographic distribution: the surname has its main nucleus in Sicily, with a greater frequency in the Messina area (Castroreale, Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, Messina), and a scattered presence in areas of Catania, Ragusa, Agrigento, the Enna area and Palermo. Outside the island, Miranda records specific pockets in Lombardy, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany, with small groups in other regions of Italy.