The surname Zocca is interpreted, according to the main scholars, from a multiple origin in which different possible bases converge. E. Rossoni notes that it may derive from the medieval name Zoccus, documented already in 1176 in the Codice Diplomatico della Lombardia medievale, which would indicate an anthroponymic origin. Likewise, he does not rule out a toponymic derivation, linked to localities such as Zocco (Brescia) or Zocca (Modena), which would imply a reference to the family's place of origin. The author also mentions the possibility of an origin in nicknames derived from the dialectal term zocch ('log of firewood'), and provides as a historical example the 16th-century Friulian painter Girolamo Del Zocco.

For his part, F. De Laurentiis agrees on the diversity of origins, highlighting that in many areas —especially in the Venezie and in Emilia-Romagna— the surname is based on nicknames formed from dialectal terms such as zòco, zòch or zòca, meaning "log, trunk". In a figurative sense, these words could be applied to persons considered "coarse, clumsy or slow", which explains their use as a byname. Like Rossoni, he also contemplates a possible toponymic origin from localities called Zocca, quite frequent in that zone.