Etymology of the Melia surname
The surname Melia is an anglicisation of O’Malley or O’Mhaille.
According to Burkes Peerage the surname Melia appears to be patronymical (derived from the name of a father or an ancestor) in origin. Burkes research suggests that it is associated with the Irish meaning ‘descendant of Maille’. The book admits, however, that this is the result of onomastic (pertaining to a name, especially pertaining to the signature to a paper written in another hand) research and that there may be other meanings for the Melia family name.
Over the course of time the spelling of the name has changed due to language changes, carelessness, and illiteracy. In earlier times, few members of families were able to read or write, and were consequently unable to spell their own name. Those able to write often spelled the name the way they heard it. I have come across some evidence of this in many of the early census returns of Victorian England. Burkes Peerage suggests that some of the probable spellings of the name are likely to be Melly, Meally and O’Maely. From my own studies I believe that I could also add several other suggestions which would include Mealia, O’Melia, Malia, and Mealey, even Malley and Mailey.
There are a number of references to the surname Melia in Maclysaght’s ‘ Irish Families’ (Irish University Press 1985). He suggests that Melia is a synonym of O’Malley, and that it might be a derivation of a Latin word. In the appendix there is a reference to the fact that as a Gaelic surname it has a foreign appearance, but that it is nonetheless rarely found indigenous outside Ireland. Further details on the O’Malley sept are covered below.
In the book ‘The surnames of Ireland’ (Irish University Press), the reference to O’Malley, Mailey, and O’Maille runs as follows: ‘One of the best-known septs of North Connacht. O’Malley is one of the few surnames from which the prefix was seldom dropped. In Mayo, however, it is also called Melia. The famous sixteenth century Grace O’Malley typifies, par exellence, the maritime prowess of this sept’. A sept incidentally is the Irish equivalent of a clan; references to famous Irish septs abound in Irish literature. On reading this passage the first indications of a possible location appears. In this case County Mayo has been identified as a likely origin. However, there is other research. The reference source ‘Irish Genealogy - A record finder’ (Heraldic Artists Ltd), records a special report on surnames, and suggests that based on an analysis of the 1890 census, the county in which the name was principally found was County Galway, with County Mayo running a close second. By the 1990’s, according to Burke’s Peerage, this had changed to Dublin itself being the most populous area for finding Melia surnames.
It is also interesting to note at this point the link, tenuous though it may be, between some of our family anecdotes and what can be established as empirical fact, viz; a common link to County Galway and Mayo.
Burke’s General Armoury has the following comments to make on the origins of the O’Malley Sept:
‘O’Malley -
A sept which ruled over the territory of the two Unhalls, or Owles, now the baronies of Munsch and Burishoole, County Mayo, deriving their surname from Maille, chief of the Sept. The O’Malleys are celebrated in Irish minstrelry as expert seamen, and called the ‘Mannahans’ or sea gods of the western oceans. Grace O’Malley daughter of Owen O’Malley, chief of the sept temp Queen Elizabeth, was the famous ‘Gran Vaile’ who visited England and was presented to the Queen by the Lord Deputy.’
A little more informative is Maclysaght’s ‘Irish Families’ which has the following to say about the name:
‘O’Malley -
O’Malley may well be said to be the Irish of the Irish. It is one of the few ‘O’ names from which the prefix was never dropped. It is not specifically numerous but is very well known. It belonged exclusively in the past to County Mayo, and this is almost exclusively true of the present day. Over 80% of the births recorded are in Connacht, and most of these are in County Mayo. Their territory is in the baronies of Burrishoole and Murrish in that county. Unlike the majority of septs located on the coast, the O’Malleys were famous for their naval exploits, and their prowess at sea is enshrined in their motto ‘Terra marique potens’ (‘Powerful on land and sea’). Outstanding in this connection was Grace O’Malley, the subject of so many romantic tales. These tales are based on fact for she has been variously described by responsible contemporary writers as a ‘most famous sea captain’ and ‘nurse of all the rebellion in the province (of Connacht) for 40 years’. She is still known as Graine Mhaol: in Irish her name is Graine ni Mhaille, O’Malley being O’Maille. Locally, in County Mayo, it is often anglicised Melia, the variant in Irish being O’Maele. It may be of interest to note that the well-known Sir Owen O’Malley, diplomat and author, insists on his name being pronounced O’Mailey. In addition to Grace O’Malley we may mention Austin O’Malley (1760 - 1854), united Irish leader who fought with Humbert at Castlebar in 1798, while at the same time George O’Malley (1780 - 1843), at the age of 18 took on the English Governments side on the occasion of the French invasion of County Mayo, and subsequently distinguished himself at the battle of Waterloo. The former was father of General Patrick O’Malley (d. 1869), of the French army. Also notable were Rev Thaddeus O’Malley (1796 - 1877), the priest who got into trouble for his unorthodox political and ecclesiastical views, and Frank Ward O’Malley (1875 - 1932), well known Irish American wit and writer. Perhaps I might add Lever’s celebrated fictional character, Charles O’Malley, the typical ‘divil may care’ Irishman.’
Prior to leaving our periegesis of the origins of the Melia name it is probably useful to make a note of what the ‘O’ prefix actually means. The prefix appears to be an anglicisation of the Gaelic word ‘Ua’ (pronounced ‘Awe’), which means descendant. The descent can be in either male or female of the line, via marriage, or simply because the place of birth happens to be on the ancestral homeland of a particular sept.
The 1841 and 1851 census returns were written by the enumerator as he heard people speak. Our Irish ancestors very likely had very strong local Connacht accents, and may not have spoken English particularly well. Thus, Edward Melia’s surname is written as ‘Mealley’ in the 1841 census. In the 1851 census, his son Austin’s surname is spelt ‘Mayley’. Austin’s 1843 marriage record uses the variant ‘Maley’, and the 1842 birth record for their son, Edward, adopts ‘Meally’’ as its interpretation. It is not until 1848 that a record uses ‘Melia’, the birth recording for Austin’s younger son, John. After 1851 the surname seems to have settled down as ‘Melia’ in all records. It would not be until the late nineteenth century, that a family member could actually check the spelling of their own surname by reading it.
