News

More Maltese Brides Opting for Double-barrelled Surnames

It seems like there are more people running around the Maltese islands with double-barrelled surnames than ever – and it’s true. According to a census study carried out five years ago, many more Maltese women are opting to join their maiden name with their husband’s surname, resulting in a double-barrelled surname, than ever before. At the time of the census, there were nearly 14,000 people living in Malta who have a double-barrelled surname; a number that has almost certainly increased since then.

In comments made to TVM, Professor Ray Mangion, a lecturer in legal history, said that in the past, double or triple-barrelled names were taken because the name was tied to a specific piece of property – frequently a magnificent palazzo – or even a prominent part of Malta. Other people took on another surname in order to boost their profile, especially if they were in business. The surname ‘Borg’ is the most common in Malta, and is frequently used as one-half of a double-barrelled surname – the Borg Olivier family tree alone stems back to the union of Karlu Borg and Angelique Olivier in 1705.

As it stands, Maltese women have four options – they can keep their maiden surnames, take their husband’s family name, or add her surname before or in front of her husband’s surname. Men do not yet have the option to take on their wives’ family names. As for the children, the law states that they should always be registered under the father’s surname, with the possibility of adding on their mother’s surname.