There are many different theories regarding the origin of the name Vόila. Some advocate that it derives from a surname or a description of a person, while others claim that it is a compound of words.

The Assistant Professor of Byzantine and modern Greek literature, Manolis S. Patedakis, speculates a connection between the name of the area and certain family names or titles of the middle Byzantine period. Testimonies from the 11th century mention Voila as a variant of a surname in reference to a jester named Romanos Voila, while the same surname has been recorded multiple times in E. Trapp’s dictionary from the Palaiologan period.

Researcher and author Stergios Spanakis refers to Voila as a Byzantine family name that is met not only in Siteia but in Heraklion too. Nevertheless, Spanakis also cites the theory that Voila might derive from the Slavic word “Vogiaros” which stands for a notable warrior or a person from a notable family.

Last but not least, there is also the theory that Voila is a compound of the words “vous”, which means cattle and the verb “elavno” which means to lead or guide. This theory suggests that Voila was an area of pasture.