The surname Melle is an infrequent form within a broader group of Italian surnames that have their origin in the word miele ("honey"). In the Middle Ages, Mele not only referred to the foodstuff, but was also used as a personal name or affectionate byname, given to a much-awaited or much-loved child. In time, that name came to be fixed as a hereditary surname.

Within this group, the different variants became established in different areas of Italy, according to the local language and the regional tradition:

• Mele is one of the oldest and most widespread forms, with a presence documented above all in southern Italy and in Sardinia, although it also appears early in Tuscany and in the Pisa area.
• Meli developed important cores in Sicily and Sardinia, and later also in Rome, the Florence area and the Parma area.
• Melì, with the accent, is a very rare form, considered of probable Sicilian origin.
• Melli is associated mainly with northern Italy, especially with Emilia-Romagna.
• Melle, for its part, is a much less common variant, noted by the sources as located mainly in southern Italy, with particular reference to the Taranto area, in Puglia.

Unlike other more widespread variants, Melle remained a minority, localized form, which explains its low frequency in Italy. It is not a surname born from a specific place, but an onomastic derivation arisen from a personal name charged with affective meaning.

Some more specialized studies propose very ancient links with onomastic traditions of the Mediterranean, especially in Sardinia, but in ordinary historical and documentary usage Melle belongs clearly within the same group as Mele, Meli and Melli, all derived from the old medieval name Mele.