by Siegfried (guest)
8/2/2010, 3:02 AM
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.