MELODY Family History

Recorded in a number of spellings including Mellody, Mellodey, Melody and Melledy, this is an English surname of medieval origins. According to the famous Victorian etymologist the late Charles Bardsley, the surname has two possible sources, both nicknames. Firstly is that it may be a metonymic for a professional singer or travelling minstrel, people who were much sought after in those times of long winter darkness and relatively little entertainment, or secondly it may be a female form of the personal name 'Meredith', a name of pre 7th century Olde Welsh (English) origins which is known to have transposed into such forms as Mallalieu, Merridew, and Merriday.