It is derived from the word: malik or melek, melekh, melech, moloch: meaning KING. Malachi is phonetically quite close but purports to mean: my messenger, possibly relating to the King of Heaven.

It is interesting to consider what Samuel conveyed to those Israelites who wanted a king like the rest of the world and what this King would exact from them. So, the name is not a personal name but a station: impersonal as it is, it also leads to other emptiness of soul, as this King exacts even more ...

For an easy historical image, please visit: https://archive.org/details/tome-08-le-tombeau-etrusque

This is a comic series drawn by Jacques Martin, who researched this topic very well. Never mind the French language, look at the pictures.