E. De Felice, E. Rossoni and V. Blunda agree that the surname is Sicilian and is related to the place name Sciara, of Arabic origin.

De Felice specifies that the surname was formed from the place name Sciara, in the province of Palermo.

Rossoni identifies it as specific to western Sicily. He adds that it derives from the place name Sciara, which in turn comes from the Arabic sciara ("street, road").

Blunda, on the other hand, for the Sicilian variant derives it from the word sciàra, with the meaning of "sterile stony terrain." He notes that it designates the solidified lava flows of Etna and other barren spots, a diffused place name whose name comes from the Arabic šaˁrāˀ. As a surname, it could have originated in a rural microtoponym.