The surname Melis is a name that was carried to England in the great wave of migration from Normandy following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Melis family lived in Melhuish in Devon. The surname Melis is a habitation name that was originally derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. The surname originated as a means of identifying individuals from a particular area. In the Middle Ages people often assumed the name of the place that they originally lived as their surname during the course of travel.
The surname Melis was first found in Devon where they held a family seat from ancient times as Lords of the Manor of Melhuish in that shire, some say, well before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 A.D. The original name of the village was Melewis. Conjecturally the family name is descended from Hugh of Rennes, holder of the village of Melhuish from Baldwin, Sheriff of Devon at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book Survey in 1086 A.D.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Melis research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1350, 1527, and 1643 are included under the topic Early Melis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling variations of this family name include: Mellish, Mellise, Melersh, Mellersh, Melluish, Melish, Mellersh, Mellis, Melliss, Meliss, Melles, Meles, Malis, Malise and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Melis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.