Giovanni MELENA was born about 1650, in Poschiavo, Graubünden, Switzerland. He had at least 1 daughter.
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Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Efrain, Adan, Alvaro, Ana, Angel, Angelina, Aurelio, Blanca, Caridad, Carolina, Consuelo.
Spanish and Portuguese: probably a nickname from melena, a term denoting a piece of leather placed on the horns of an ox so that the yoke would not harm them, possibly applied to someone in charge of an ox as a draft animal. By extension, melena came to mean ‘mane’ and ‘long hair’, probably applied to someone with long or untidy hair.
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
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