The authors agree that the surname has a Germanic origin and propose two main hypotheses. The first links it to the place name Schliengen, in Baden-Württemberg (Germany), the probable place of origin of the first bearer of the surname. The second derives it from a nickname arisen from the Italianization of the medieval Germanic term schlinga, which means "loop" or "slip knot."

E. Rossoni notes that the surname seems to be native of Cirò, in the Crotone area, in Calabria.

F. Miranda specifies that it is a very rare surname, with a scattered presence in around fifteen municipalities. Its main nucleus is found in Calabria, with a presence also in Lombardy, Piedmont, Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Campania and Veneto. In Sicily, Miranda records its presence in Santo Stefano di Camastra, in the Messina area, and in Centuripe, in the Enna area.