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Maltese

The strongest concentration of Maltese in US arrival records points to Sicilia, with 139 of 164 arrivals (85 percent) originating there.

164

US arrivals
1830 to 1912

35

Comuni of
origin

6

Regioni
represented

0

Notable on
Wikipedia

Arrivals by regioneN = 164
Puglia: 3 arrivalsBasilicata: 5 arrivalsCalabria: 5 arrivalsCampania: 8 arrivalsSicilia: 139 arrivalsVeneto: 4 arrivals

Top regione

Sicilia

139 of 164
85 percent of arrivals

Arrivals
0
< 4
4 to 14
14 to 42
42+

Cittadinanza per discendenza

Could your Maltese line qualify for Italian citizenship?

The largest share of Maltese arrivals came from Sicilia, most often from the provincia of Agrigento. If one of them is your ancestor, Italy may recognize you as a citizen under jure sanguinis (citizenship by descent).

The surname alone does not decide it. Each generation between that ancestor and you does: who naturalized, and when. Since the 2025 law, the number of generations matters too.

The checker goes back through your line one generation at a time. It is not legal advice, and it does not search for records.

Check your line
Your lineYou fill this in

Italian-born ancestor

A Maltese from Sicilia

Most often from Agrigento (AG)

Each generation between

Name and dates

Did this person naturalize before their child was born?

You

A likely outcome

and the documents your line would need

Not ready to start? Get an email when the citizenship rules change.

Distribuzione per regione

Concentration by regione

6 regioni represented

  • Sicilia13985%
  • Campania85%
  • Basilicata53%
  • Calabria53%
  • Veneto42%
  • Puglia32%

Origini per comune

Arrival records by comune

Each row is a comune (municipality) where at least one passenger named Maltese was recorded between 1830 and 1912.

Varianti grafiche

Spelling variants worth checking

  • The spelling you know may not be the one in the records. For example, a family remembers Mansini, but the records read Mancini.
  • If your spelling does not appear, a close variant in the list below may be the same family.

Related guide

Myths About Name Changes at Ellis Island

Names were never changed at the border. The spelling here is the original Italian: Giovinelli in the records, perhaps Jovanelli in the family today.

Read guide

Maltesi

8 US arrivals

Maltesa

2 US arrivals

Maltesta

1 US arrivals

Matese

10 US arrivals

Altese

3 US arrivals

Variants are surfaced from the surname index, not from per-name research. None of these is guaranteed to be the same family as Maltese.