| ![Show Contents]() Melan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Irish surnames are all based on the Gaelic language native to Ireland. The original Gaelic form of the name Melan is Ó Meallain, which is derived from the word meall, which means pleasant. Early Origins of the Melan familyThe surname Melan was first found in County Tyrone (Irish:Tír Eoghain), the ancient territory of the O'Neills, now in the Province of Ulster, central Northern Ireland, where they held a family seat from ancient times. Early History of the Melan familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Melan research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Melan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Melan Spelling VariationsNames from the Middle Ages demonstrate many spelling variations. This is because the recording scribe or church official often decided as to how a person's name was spelt and in what language. Research into the name Melan revealed many variations, including Mallon, O'Mallon, O'Malin, O'Mellan, Malin, Mellan and many more. Early Notables of the Melan familyMore information is included under the topic Early Melan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
 Melan migration to the United States | + |
The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish families leaving Ireland for the distant shores of North America and Australia. These families often left their homeland hungry, penniless, and destitute due to the policies of England. Those Irish immigrants that survived the long sea passage initially settled on the eastern seaboard of the continent. Some, however, moved north to a then infant Canada as United Empire Loyalists after ironically serving with the English in the American War of Independence. Others that remained in America later joined the westward migration in search of land. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, though, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America, and those who arrived were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. In fact, the foundations of today's powerful nations of the United States and Canada were to a larger degree built by the Irish. Archival documents indicate that members of the Melan family relocated to North American shores quite early:
Melan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- William Melan, aged 21, who landed in New York, NY in 1853 1
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
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Melan migration to the United States 
England
Ireland
