Maltese migrants in the United States and Australia : a cognominal perspective

Abstract

Maltese surnames constitute an important element of Malta’s cultural heritage and identity. Employing different sources, migration and family historian Mark Caruana of Sydney has over the years compiled very useful data which reliably quantifies the incidence of Maltese family names extant in the USA and Australia. This paper seeks to establish the relative correspondence between local statistical records based on contemporary census results and the investigations undertaken by Caruana. From a cultural point of view, the most apparent and admittedly fascinating observation one can make is that Caruana’s inventories almost mirror the cognominal frequency list emanating from local census taking. This remarkable symmetry only confirms that the distribution of surnames among people of Maltese descent in the USA and Australia perfectly reflects the relative distribution in their country of origin (Malta). From Caruana’s intriguing lists one can also observe that some Maltese surnames have undergone a process of Anglicisation. One can also discern a host of family names which are no longer extant in Malta. This means that some Maltese migrants ironically bear surnames which today are locally untraceable. [excerpt]