F. Miranda notes that this surname belongs to a lexical family that includes the variants Rizza, Rizzi, Rizzoli and Rizzolo, all derived from nicknames linked to physical characteristics of the first bearer: strongly wavy or curly hair (rizzi). Miranda also gathers other hypotheses that relate the nickname to the riccio of the chestnut or to the riccio —the hedgehog, from the Latin ericius. Over time, the surname underwent orthographic variations such as Riccio, Ricci, Ritii —pronounced Rizii— and Rizzo de Ritii.

G. P. Holmes complements this reading by indicating that the nickname could allude both to physical traits —pointed or curly hair— and to traits of character —a rough and angular person—, or else refer directly to the animal. For his part, F. De Laurentiis considers it derived from Ricci.

The surname is among the most diffused in Italy and appears in all its regions. According to Miranda, it predominates in Sicily and in Apulia, although it also presents relevant areas of concentration in Veneto, Lombardy, Campania, Calabria, Piedmont, Lazio, Liguria and Emilia-Romagna. Within Sicily, it is documented in the provinces of Messina, Palermo, Catania, Agrigento, Trapani and Enna.