Melua () is a family name originating in Georgia, specifically the

Mingrelia Mingrelia ( ka, სამეგრელო, tr; xmf, სამარგალო, samargalo; ab, Агырны, Agirni) is a historic province in the western part of Georgia, formerly known as Odishi. It is primarily inhabited by the Mingrelian ...

region around the city of Zugdidi ( ka, მელუა); it belongs to Orthodox Christian culture. Historical Samegrelo in modern international borders of Georgia

Historical Samegrelo in modern international borders of Georgia

Usually Georgian etymologists consider that the surname came from the word ''melia'' (sometimes ''mela''), meaning

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelv ...

. Other surnames derived from the word ''melia'' are ''Meluava'', ''Meliava'', ''Meliva'' and ''Meladze''. In French the surname is written ''Méloua''.

History

19th century

Groups with the surname Melua migrated from the

region to the

Guria Guria ( ka, გურია) is a region (''mkhare'') in Georgia, in the western part of the country, bordered by the eastern end of the Black Sea. The region has a population of 113,000 (2016), with Ozurgeti as the regional capital. Geography ...

region (around the town of Ozurgeti) to farm and breed horses, to

Imereti Imereti (Georgian: იმერეთი) is a region of Georgia situated in the central-western part of the republic along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni River. Imereti is the most populous region in Georgia. It consists of 11 municip ...

(around the town of

Kutaisi Kutaisi (, ka, ქუთაისი ) is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the third-most populous city in Georgia, traditionally, second in importance, after the capital city of Tbilisi. Situated west of Tbilis ...

), and to Tbilisi.

20th century

Some individuals bearing this name sought refuge abroad after the Red Army invaded the country. * Mirian Melua (1903-1991), refugee in France *

Elie Melia Fr. Elie Melia ( ka, ილია მელია, french: Élie Mélia) (20 February 1915 – 15 March 1988) was a Georgian Orthodox priest in France and church historian. Born in Kutaisi, he fled the Soviet regime to Western Europe with his bro ...

(1915-1988), lived in Belgium and then in France; priest and historian of the Georgian Orthodox Church. * Alexandre Meliava (1908-1968), refugee in France. During the Soviet years, groups with the surname Melua migrated from

and Tbilisi to Batum,

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

, Moscow and Leningrad, for education and universities, but also for jobs. After the return of Georgian sovereignty and the civil war, in 1991, a lot of people left the country and migrated; some with the surname Melua moved to Great Britain or to the United States, looking for a better life.

21st century

Today, there are Georgian, American, British, French and Russian people with the surname Melua: *

Arkady Melua Arkady Ivanovich Melua (7 February 1950, Kazatin) is the general director and editor-in-chief of the scientific publishing house, Humanistica. Life and work Starting in 1969, Melua served and worked as an engineer at the Ministry of Defense ...

is the Russian general director and editor-in-chief of the scientific publishing house, ''Humanistica''. *David Melua is the executive secretary of National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia *Elen Melua, was a former fashion collection chief, in Paris *George Meluava is an American artist, painter * Katie Melua is a Georgian-British singer * Luc Méloua was a French motorist and journalist *Mikheil Melua was a champion of Georgia in martial arts ("Goju-Ryu Karate") * Mirian Melua, son,. is chief editor of the newsletter ''Les Infos Brèves France Géorgie''.

References

External links

* {{surname Georgian-language surnames