Of the 19,104 surnames recorded in the 2011 Census, Borg, Camilleri and Vella stand out as the most common, covering between them almost 10 per cent of the population.
The 2011 Census of Population and Housing, taken on 20 November, recorded 19,104 surnames across the Maltese Islands. Almost 14,000 residents, or 3.3 per cent of the total population, had a double-barrel surname, an increase of around 45 per cent compared to the 2005 Census, when 9,507 persons were enumerated as such. Of these, 2,917 residents, or 21.2 per cent, were non- Maltese.
Localities with the highest proportion of residents having a double-barrel surname were Mdina, with 15 per cent, followed by Swieqi (8.3 per cent), Hal Balzan (8 per cent) and Tas-Sliema (7.7 per cent). Localities in Gozo recorded the smallest proportions of persons with a double-barrel surname.
Residents having a double-barrel surname tended to be relatively younger, with an average age of 32.4, compared to 40.8 for other residents.
The top ten surnames were identical in rank to those recorded in the 2005 Census, and accounted for almost one-fourth of the population. In particular, 13,610 persons, or 3.3 per cent of the population, bore the surname Borg, followed by Camilleri and Vella, with 13,090 and 12,192 persons respectively. The top 20 surnames accounted for 38.6 per cent. No significant difference was observed on a gender level.
The top three surnames among non-Maltese nationals were the same as for their Maltese counterparts. Additionally, the three most prevalent foreign surnames were Smith, Jones and Brown, with less than 80 persons carrying each surname.
The Census makes it possible to map the distribution of surnames, showing how the most popular surnames are spread across the Maltese Islands. For instance, whereas the majority of the most common surnames, including Borg, Camilleri, Zammit, Galea, Micallef and Attard, are found in Birkirkara and Mosta, the largest two localities on the island, other popular surnames are most prevalent in smaller localities.
The Census highlights areas of concentration of particular surnames. For instance Grech, Farrugia and Spiteri are most likely to be found in Haz-Zabbar, Zurrieq and Zejtun respectively, which place higher in rank in terms of number of residents.
Interesting trends emerge among other less popular surnames, particularly in Gozo. For instance Mintoff, which ranks 144th at a national level, has the most common cluster in Ghasri, while De Brincat is most concentrated in Munxar. Similarly, although Carabott is the third most common surname in Marsaxlokk, it places 94th nationwide.
Such trends indicate that despite an increasingly mobile population, many surnames still have strong ties to specific localities, even in a relatively small country such as Malta.