SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Malta

Origin and meaning

The authors agree that this surname derives from the place name Malta, the name of the island in the central Mediterranean, and from its corresponding demonym, Maltese.

E. De Felice notes that the form Maltese is frequent in Sicily, with a presence also in southern Italy.

E. Rossoni broadens the picture by distinguishing three variants: Malta, fairly rare, with a presence in Calabria and in Sicily; Maltese, more widespread and characteristic of Sicily; and Maltesi, very rare, which Rossoni considers possibly a transcription error for the preceding form.

Altered forms and derivatives

Geographic distribution: The South; Sicily (Maltese frequent)

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

Comparative analysis based on 2 authors: where they agree, the hypothesis is strengthened; where they differ, the alternative interpretations are presented.

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