F. Miranda notes that Spata is a variant of the surname Spada, which in turn gave rise to numerous derivatives and altered forms, such as Spadaro, Spadini, Spataro, Spadolini and Protospataro. At the base of all of them is the term spada ("sword"), taken from the name of the trade of one who made or sold swords and similar weapons, or of one who followed the profession of arms, went armed with a sword or knew how to handle it skilfully. Miranda adds a historical detail of interest: in the Roman Empire, the soldiers who protected the emperor were known as protectores domestici or, in Greek, spatharii, and their captain received the title of protospatharius —"the first of the spatai"—, one of the highest dignities of the court.

V. Blunda approaches the surname from a Sicilian dialectal perspective: he derives it from the word spàta, "sword" in the local dialect, which in turn goes back to the Greek spáthē, a long straight weapon linked to the Mediterranean military tradition. Blunda further proposes that as a surname it could have originated in a nickname applied to a person associated with the bearing of arms or of a tall, upright figure.

As for geographical distribution, Miranda indicates that the surname is found mostly in southern Italy, with a notable presence in Sicily, Calabria, Apulia and Campania, and also, through internal migrations, in regions such as Lombardy, Tuscany, Piedmont and Lazio. Within Sicily, it appears spread across areas linked to Catania, Ragusa, Syracuse, Palermo and Trapani, as well as in the Enna area. Blunda, for his part, confines the surname to Sicily.