SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Meli

Origin and meaning

The authors agree that the surname derives from the personal name Mele, of Greek origin, with the meaning "honey". F. Miranda notes that in the Middle Ages this name was given to a much-welcomed and gentle child, with the affectionate sense of "sweet as honey", and does not rule out that the surname may also derive from the activity of the first bearers as beekeepers and producers of honey. G. P. Holmes adds that it is a Sicilian given name of Greek root and that in a figurative sense it alludes to someone of a sweet character.

According to Miranda, the surname is found mainly in Sicily, with presences also in Lombardy, Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Sardinia, Lazio, Piedmont, Puglia, Liguria and Calabria. On the island it appears in every province, with notable concentrations in the Palermo, Catania, Agrigento, Messina, Syracuse, Caltanissetta and Enna areas. It is the commonest surname in Comiso —a locality known for the legendary honey of the Iblean mountains— and the second most widespread in Bronte, a fact that Holmes also confirms.

💡 The surname Meli also appears as variants of the surnames Mele, Melle and Miele in other studies consulted in this project.

Altered forms and derivatives

  • Mele 📄 (own page)

Geographic distribution: A surname found above all in Sicily, it records presences in fairly substantial numbers in other Italian regions as well, in particular in Lombardy, Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Sardinia, Lazio, Piedmont, Puglia, Liguria and Calabria. On the island it is frequent in every province, in particular in the Palermo area (Palermo, Castelbuono, Mezzojuso, Misilmeri, Monreale), that of Catania (Bronte, Catania, Paternò, Misterbianco, Grammichele, Tremestieri Etneo, Mazzarrone, Caltagirone), that of Agrigento (Palma di Montechiaro, Campobello di Licata, Canicattì, Aragona, Realmonte, Agrigento), that of Messina (Messina, Sant'Agata di Militello, Naso, Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, Francavilla di Sicilia), that of Syracuse (Syracuse, Rosolini, Pachino, Augusta, Noto), that of Caltanissetta (Niscemi, Caltanissetta, Mazzarino, Gela, San Cataldo) and in the Enna area (Barrafranca, Villarosa, Enna, Centuripe, Catenanuova, Regalbuto, Nicosia). It is the commonest surname in Comiso, in the area of the legendary Iblean honey, and the second most widespread surname in Bronte.

📍 You can view how this surname is distributed in Italy: View distribution in Italy (Cognomix)

Comparative analysis based on 2 authors: where they agree, the hypothesis is strengthened; where they differ, the alternative interpretations are presented.

Sources

This entry of the Italian Surname Meanings dictionary is based on the following specialized onomastic sources:

  • Miranda, F. (2013). I cognomi di Regalbuto, Catenanuova e Centuripe. Ginevra Bentivoglio EditoriA.
  • Patti Holmes, G. (2018). Alla scoperta dei cognomi siciliani. Retrieved from https://www.ilsicilia.it