 The name Melattur came from the Malayalam words 'Mele' (above), 'Aaru' (river) and 'Ooru' (place); i.e., 'place near upstream'.There are places named Edayattur (place near middle of the river), and Keezhattur (place near to the downstream) on the banks of the river Olippuzha.The town is well connected to Perinthalmanna (17 km), Mannarkkad (24 km), Manjeri (23 km) and Karuvarakundu (11 km).