Show ContentsDemelo History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Portuguese surname Demelo, is of toponymic origin, deriving from a place name where the original bearer resided or held land. The original name of the family's ancestral town was Merlo, which is an archaic form of "melro," the Portuguese word for "blackbird." The surname Demelo thus means "one who hailed from Melo."

Early Origins of the Demelo family

The surname Demelo was first found in Portugal in the town of the same name. The Demelo family is descended from Pedro Formarigues, who was called "de Riba de Vizela" as he was owned many estates in Riba de Vizela.

Early History of the Demelo family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Demelo research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1597, 1608, 1627, 1651 and 1666 are included under the topic Early Demelo History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Demelo Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: De Melo, Melo, Melos and others.

Early Notables of the Demelo family

Prominent members of the family include Mem Soares de Melo, who was lord of Melo and Gouveia and whose descendants retained the surname Melo.Francisco Manuel de Mello (1608-1666), was a Portuguese writer, born in Lisbon. On his father's side, he was of the royal house of Braganza. After...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Demelo Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Demelo Ranking

In the United States, the name Demelo is the 14,936th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Demelo migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Demelo Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Joao de Melo, aged 37, who immigrated to the United States from St. Michael's, in 1903
  • Manuel de Melo, aged 17, who immigrated to the United States from Portugal, in 1913
  • Cesario de Melo, aged 32, who settled in America, in 1917
  • Ezequiel De Melo, aged 19, who landed in America from Chaves, Portugal, in 1920
  • Jose Bernardo de Melo, aged 20, who settled in America from Cassenraes, Portugal, in 1920

Contemporary Notables of the name Demelo (post 1700) +

  • António Maria de Fontes Pereira de Melo GCTE KGF (1819-1887), Portuguese statesman, politician, and engineer
  • Francisco Manuel de Melo (1608-1666), Portuguese writer
  • Marcelo José de Melo (b. 1972), Brazilian artist
  • Araquem José de Melo (1944-2001), Brazilian footballer
  • José Marco Nóbrega Ferreira de Melo (b. 1971), Brazilian silver medalist beach volleyball player at the 2000 Summer Olympics
  • Túlio Vinícius Fróes de Melo (b. 1985), Brazilian footballer
  • Atonio Vieira de Melo, Brazilian lawyer and journalist


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/


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