Maelys

Maelys is the unaccented spelling of French Maëlys, a feminine name related to Maël. The older Breton element mael means a chief, prince, or lord. That meaning belongs to the underlying name family; Maelys is a later feminine form rather than a direct Breton word for princess.

The two dots in Maëlys signal that the adjoining vowels are pronounced separately in French. They are often left off in English-language forms or records, producing Maelys without changing the intended family connection. The name combines Breton ancestry with a form developed in French use, offering parents a way to carry both parts of that linguistic history in a single name.