E. De Felice notes that this is a surname of Jewish origin, formed from the place name Terracina —a city in the Latina area—, seat of an old Jewish community dispersed during the 16th and 17th centuries.

E. Rossoni agrees that the surname derives from the same place name and adds that its presence is concentrated mainly in Rome and its province. Rossoni also mentions the variant Terracini, which he considers extremely rare and attributes to transcription errors.