Malta is one of the smallest countries in the world and one of the most layered.
An island in the middle of the Mediterranean that has been ruled by the Phoenicians, the Romans, the Arabs, the Normans, the Knights of St John, the French, and the British. Every single one of those civilizations left something behind. And nowhere is that more visible than in Maltese names.
What you get is this extraordinary mix. Arabic sounds that came with the Moorish period and stayed. Italian and Sicilian names that crossed the narrow stretch of sea. Catholic saint names so deeply embedded they feel inseparable from the culture. And a handful of names that are so uniquely Maltese you will not find them anywhere else on earth.
Here are 91 most popular Maltese baby names for girls and boys.
Maltese Girl Names
Maltese girl names tend to be soft and deeply Catholic at their core. The influence of the Knights of St John and centuries of intense Catholic devotion shaped the naming tradition in a way that is unlike anywhere else in the Mediterranean.
But underneath the Catholic surface you can still hear the Arabic. The Maltese language itself is the only Semitic language written in the Latin alphabet and that mix shows up beautifully in the names.
- Marija — the Maltese form of Mary. The most carried name in Malta by far.
- Grazia
- Carmela
- Rosaria
- Concetta
- Saveria
- Assunta — taken up into heaven. A name connected to the Feast of the Assumption, the most important celebration in many Maltese villages.
- Pawlina
- Doris
- Filomena
- Ġulja
- Antonia
- Lorenza
- Katerina
- Ġilorma
- Natalina
- Annunziata — the announcement. Given to girls born around the Feast of the Annunciation.
- Immaculata — connected to the Immaculate Conception, one of the central beliefs of Maltese Catholicism.
- Stella
- Veronica
- Ċetta
- Luċija — the Maltese form of Lucia. Light.
- Glorija
- Ċensu
- Wistin
- Emanuella
- Ġwanni
More Maltese Girl Names
Malta has a strong tradition of naming daughters after the feast day closest to their birth. So a girl born in August might be named Assunta for the Assumption. A girl born in December might be called Ċonċetta or Immakulata.
That calendar connection gives Maltese girl names a depth that purely aesthetic naming never quite matches. Every name carries a moment in the year inside it.
- Xandrina
- Żabrina
- Terezina
- Agostina
- Loretta
- Ġannina
- Elvira
- Cristina
- Ġuljana
- Mafalda
- Salomea
- Żeża
- Bernardina
- Leonarda
- Anġelika
- Ċelina
- Miriam — the Arabic and Hebrew form of Mary. In Malta this name sits at the exact meeting point of the island’s two deepest cultural influences.
- Roberta
- Ġorġina
- Klawdja
- Filomena
- Ċikka
- Tereza
Maltese Boy Names
Maltese boy names lean heavily on the apostles, the saints, and the great figures of Catholic history. Ġwann for John. Pawlu for Paul. Pietru for Peter. The island’s devotion to the Church runs so deep that for centuries almost every boy was named after a saint.
What makes them interesting is how the Maltese language transforms these familiar names into something completely its own. You know the source but the sound is new.
- Ġwann — the Maltese form of John. God is gracious.
- Pawlu — the Maltese form of Paul. Small or humble.
- Pietru — the Maltese form of Peter. Rock.
- Ġużepp — the Maltese form of Joseph. God will add. Saint Joseph is the patron saint of Malta.
- Franġisk — the Maltese form of Francis. Free man.
- Mikiel — the Maltese form of Michael. Who is like God.
- Salvu
- Karm — a Maltese form of Carmel, the mountain in Israel sacred to the Virgin Mary.
- Loretu
- Toni
- Nenu
- Wistin — the Maltese form of Augustine. Great and venerable.
- Feliċ
- Ġorġ — the Maltese form of George. Saint George is celebrated with enormous passion across Malta.
- Ċensu — the Maltese form of Vincent. Conquering.
- Lolly
- Manwel — the Maltese form of Emmanuel. God is with us.
- Duminku — the Maltese form of Dominic. Belonging to God.
- Karlu
- Bert
- Indri — the Maltese form of Andrew. Manly and strong.
- Rokku — the Maltese form of Roch, the saint of plague victims. Deeply venerated across Malta.
- Lwiġi
- Tumas — the Maltese form of Thomas. Twin.
- Ġakbu — the Maltese form of James. Supplanter.
Unique And Rare Maltese Names
These are the names that exist almost only in Malta. A few of them come from the Arabic period of Maltese history and never left. Others are so specific to certain villages and feast day traditions that you genuinely will not find them anywhere outside the island.
I find this section the most fascinating on the whole list. Names that belong to one small island in the Mediterranean and nowhere else.
- Ċikku — a distinctly Maltese nickname form that became a standalone name.
- Ganni — Maltese short form of Giovanni.
- Bettina
- Ġilorma — a Maltese name with no direct equivalent in any other language.
- Żeppi — the Maltese pet form of Joseph.
- Leli — a Maltese affectionate form that became its own name entirely.
- Nella
- Tereża
- Ċetta — a short form of Concetta unique to Maltese usage.
- Nardu — a Maltese form connected to the herb nard, used in biblical anointing.
- Birdu — a uniquely Maltese name with roots in the Arabic naming traditions of the medieval period.
- Xandru — the Maltese form of Alexander. Defender of the people.
- Żaren — a Maltese form of Lawrence. Connected to the laurel wreath of victory.
- Ċensu
- Wistin
- Ġorġ
Wrapping Up
So there you have it. 91 most popular Maltese baby names for girls and boys.
From the deep Catholic heart of Ġużepp and Immaculata to the Arabic echoes of Miriam and Birdu. From the warrior pride of Ġorġ to the tender warmth of Marija. From the saint calendar names of Assunta and Annunziata to the uniquely Maltese sound of Ċikku and Żeppi.
Malta is a tiny island that carries an enormous amount of history. And its names carry all of it.
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