Cognome

Meli

The strongest concentration of Meli in US arrival records points to Sicilia, with 158 of 193 arrivals (82 percent) originating there.

193

US arrivals
1830 to 1912

58

Comuni of
origin

11

Regioni
represented

19

Notable on
Wikipedia

Arrivals by regioneN = 193
Abruzzo: 3 arrivalsPuglia: 1 arrivalsBasilicata: 2 arrivalsCalabria: 9 arrivalsCampania: 14 arrivalsEmilia-Romagna: 1 arrivalsLazio: 1 arrivalsLiguria: 2 arrivalsPiemonte: 1 arrivalsSicilia: 158 arrivalsTrentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol: 1 arrivals

Top regione

Sicilia

158 of 193
82 percent of arrivals

Arrivals
0
< 5
5 to 16
16 to 47
47+

Cittadinanza per discendenza

Could your Meli line qualify for Italian citizenship?

The largest share of Meli arrivals came from Sicilia, most often from the provincia of Palermo. If one of them is your ancestor, Italy may recognize you as a citizen under jure sanguinis (citizenship by descent).

The surname alone does not decide it. Each generation between that ancestor and you does: who naturalized, and when. Since the 2025 law, the number of generations matters too.

The checker goes back through your line one generation at a time. It is not legal advice, and it does not search for records.

Check your line
Your lineYou fill this in

Italian-born ancestor

A Meli from Sicilia

Most often from Palermo (PA)

Each generation between

Name and dates

Did this person naturalize before their child was born?

You

A likely outcome

and the documents your line would need

Not ready to start? Get an email when the citizenship rules change.

Distribuzione per regione

Concentration by regione

11 regioni represented

  • Sicilia15882%
  • Campania147%
  • Calabria95%
  • Abruzzo32%
  • Liguria21%
  • Basilicata21%
  • Emilia-Romagna11%
  • Puglia11%
  • Piemonte11%
  • Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol11%
  • Lazio11%

Origini per comune

Arrival records by comune

Each row is a comune (municipality) where at least one passenger named Meli was recorded between 1830 and 1912.

Persone notevoli

Notable Meli on Wikipedia

Varianti grafiche

Spelling variants worth checking

  • The spelling you know may not be the one in the records. For example, a family remembers Mansini, but the records read Mancini.
  • If your spelling does not appear, a close variant in the list below may be the same family.

Related guide

Myths About Name Changes at Ellis Island

Names were never changed at the border. The spelling here is the original Italian: Giovinelli in the records, perhaps Jovanelli in the family today.

Read guide

Melili

1 US arrivals

Melilli

5 US arrivals

Di meli

1 US arrivals

Melia

22 US arrivals

Melli

7 US arrivals

Variants are surfaced from the surname index, not from per-name research. None of these is guaranteed to be the same family as Meli.