Melfi

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian Melfi.

Proper noun

Melfi (plural Melfis)

1. A surname from Italian.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Melfi is the 24186^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 1039 individuals. Melfi is most common among White (94.9%) individuals.

Further reading

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Melfi”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 2, New York City: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 570.

Italian

Etymology

Said to be related to the name of the small nearby river Melpes, Melphes, mentioned by Pliny. According to De Giovanni this name is from a Mediterranean (possibly Italic, like the Oenotrians) substrate *melf, *melp, of uncertain meaning, but compare Melpis and Melpum.

Proper noun

Melfi f

1. A town in Potenza, Basilicata, Italy

Proper noun

Melfi m or f by sense

1. a habitational surname

References

• Giacinto de' Sivo, Storia delle Due Sicilie, dal 1847 al 1861, Oxford University Press, 1864.
• Alessio-De Giovanni: Alessio, G., De Giovanni, M., Apulia et Calabria nel quadro della toponomastica mediterranea, Atti del VII congresso internazionale di scienze onomastiche, vol. 1, Firenze 1962, pp. 65-129.