The surname Meloni
I know a woman whose maiden name was Meloni and I was wondering what/where it derives from. Any ideas? Thank you! :)
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It is a quite common Italian surname.
It literally means "melons" and is actually etymologically related to them. The term "melon" is related to the latin names of the apple (melum).
Similar surnames are Meli, Melati, Melillo, Melilli, Melli, Mello, Melloni...
It is diffuse throughout Italy, expecially the South.
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MELONE is on page 36 of “Our Italian Surnames,” by Joseph G. Fucilla, published in 1987. There may be several derivations for MELONE and similar names, but on p. 36 it is derived from “Manuele”, sometimes from “Carmelo”.Page 34 describes the process of “syncope” in the formation of pet names.R. Niles
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Half of the italian Meloni are from Sardinia.
The origin of the surname is not so clear: meli for instance could come from "miele" i.e "honey" or even from the given name "Michele" in English Michael-Melli instead could be different: It could come from names of places like "Mello" a name of old keltic origin.
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You can type "Meloni" under "Cognomi" (surnames) in this page to see its diffusion in Italy: http://www.gens.labo.net/it/cognomi/genera.html
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