SURNAMES IN ITALY

La Malfa

This form is a variant of the surname Malfa.

Origin and meaning

E. De Felice notes that this surname is proper to eastern Sicily and was formed from the place name Malfa, a locality in the Messina area.

E. Rossoni specifies that the surname is concentrated in eastern Sicily, with notable areas in that of Messina, in Caltagirone —Catania area— and in Noto —Syracuse area. He confirms that it derives from the place name Malfa, situated in the Messina area.

Variants

Geographic distribution: Eastern Sicily

📍 You can view how this surname is distributed in Italy: View distribution in Italy (Cognomix)

Drawing on 2 authors, this entry presents the different hypotheses about the origin of the surname, avoiding a single oversimplified explanation.

Sources

This entry of the Italian Surname Meanings dictionary is based on the following specialized onomastic sources:

  • De Felice, E. (1978). Dizionario dei cognomi italiani. Milano: Mondadori.
  • Rossoni, E. (2002). Origine e storia dei cognomi italiani. Retrieved from https://www.cognomiitaliani.org