B. Zuanella explains that this is a surname of Slovenian origin, derived from the zoonym vuk, meaning "wolf". Before becoming a surname, it was probably a byname attributed to one who possessed some quality associated with that animal, such as fierceness or voracity. The dialectal form vuk comes from the standard Slovenian word volk (pronounced vouk), through a process of vocalic reduction typical of the dialect of the Natisone valley: the group -ol- is reduced to -u- (volk > vuk).

Zuanella documents that the surname was concentrated at the beginning of the 17th century in localities of the municipality of Grimacco and of Drenchia, in the Natisone area. Over time it spread to other nearby localities and, after the Second World War, also towards municipalities of Friuli such as Cividale, Corno di Rosazzo and Premariacco.

E. Rossoni agrees on the Slavic etymology of the term vuk with the meaning of "wolf" applied as a nickname to the founder of the lineage, and notes that the surname is typical of Trieste and of the eastern zone of Udine, within the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. He also mentions the variant Vuk, very rare, present in the same geographical area.