From the Greek
Μενελαος (Menelaos) which meant "withstanding the people", derived from
μενω (meno) "to last, to withstand" and
λαος (laos) "the people". In Greek legend he was a king of Sparta and the husband of
Helen. When his wife was taken by
Paris, the Greeks besieged the city of Troy in an effort to get her back. After the war Menelaus and Helen settled down to a happy life.