Where the Maltese surname comes from
The Maltese surname tells where the founder came from: the island of Malta, south of Sicily. In a Sicilian town, anyone who arrived from down there was “the Maltese” to everyone. Then the nickname passed to the children and became the family’s name. Less than a hundred kilometers of sea lie between the two islands.
Two sister islands
For more than four centuries Malta was part of the Kingdom of Sicily, and boats went back and forth all the time. Then an emperor leased it to an order of knights, in exchange for a very curious tribute. That story even inspired one of the most famous mysteries of the 20th century. It is all in the PDF.
Where the Malteses live today
Maltese is an almost entirely Sicilian surname, with about 1,200 families in Italy. Its heart is the province of Trapani, the part of the island that faces Malta. Its highest rank is in Salaparuta, in the Belice Valley, where it is the fifth most common surname. Outside Sicily the strongest presence is in Lombardy and Lazio. The region-by-region map and the countries around the world where they settled are in the PDF.
Variants
Maltese has no real variants. The plural form, Maltesi, is very rare and found almost entirely in Central and Northern Italy.
FAQ
What does the surname Maltese mean?
“The Maltese”: it described someone who had come to Sicily from the island of Malta. It was a nickname for where someone came from, later passed to the children as a family name.
Is Maltese a Sicilian surname?
Yes, almost entirely. It is strongest in the province of Trapani, where it is the 39th most common surname. Outside the island it is found mostly in Lombardy and Lazio.
Do the Malteses come from Malta?
The founder most likely did. Malta was tied to Sicily for centuries, until 1530, and people and boats passed between the two islands all the time. The surname was born in Sicily, where people needed to tell apart those who came from elsewhere.
Are Maltese and Maltesi the same surname?
Yes, Maltesi is the plural form. It is very rare and found almost entirely in Central and Northern Italy. In old records it is worth trying the related spellings too.
Are all Malteses related?
No. The nickname arose every time someone arrived from Malta, in different towns and families. To trace your own story you need birth records and parish registers.
Is the Maltese surname noble?
The surname itself does not mean nobility. It comes from a nickname for where someone came from, borne mostly by seafaring and working people who came to Sicily from a nearby island.
Is there a Maltese family coat of arms?
There is no coat of arms that belongs to every Maltese. And the eight-pointed Maltese cross is the symbol of the Order of the Knights and of the island, not of the families named Maltese.
