The authors agree that this surname derives from the medieval auspicious name Riccus / Ricca, documented in Rome in the 9th century and in Pisa in 1228. Both also note the possibility that it comes from the initial reduction of names such as Ulderico, Federico or Enrico.

F. Miranda adds a testimony of the popular use of the term: still today, elderly people respond to the greeting sabbenerica or sabbenedica ("may you bless me") with the wish santu e rriccu, which illustrates the persistence of the symbolic value of "rich" as a wish for prosperity. The surname appears diffused in regions such as Piedmont, Sicily, Lombardy, Campania and Liguria, with a smaller presence in Lazio, Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna.

E. Rossoni details the geographic distribution of the main variants: Ricca predominates in Campania, Calabria, Sicily, Rome, Piedmont, Liguria and Lombardy; Ricchi is typical of the area comprising the Modena, Bologna and Florence areas; Ricco is more proper to southern Italy, with a presence in Apulia and Campania; and Riccone is specific to Ercolano, in the Naples area.