Carved into wood, marble, or stone, or fashioned from ceramic, glass, iron, or clay, house names are a familiar feature of Malta’s streets. Some express faith or family ties; others recall a journey, a profession, a football club, or a much-loved place. Each is a personal choice, yet when thousands of these names are studied together, wider patterns begin to emerge.
This was the subject of a University of Malta sociology project led by Professor Godfrey Baldacchino. Students examined the April 2022 Local Council Electoral Register and analysed 19,683 house names found among 29,764 addresses across ten Maltese localities. In this particular sample, around two out of every three addresses had a registered house name.
The localities were Għaxaq, Gżira, Marsaskala, Mosta, Msida — including Swatar — Mtarfa, Qormi, Senglea, Żejtun, and Żurrieq, including Bubaqra. As this was a convenience sample rather than a nationwide survey, its findings should not be taken as representing every locality in Malta. Nevertheless, the collection offers a fascinating picture of how house names communicate personal and collective identity.
A language of identity
English was by far the most common language used for house names, followed by Maltese. Italian, French, Spanish, Latin, Hebrew, and other languages also appeared, while names combining two or more languages had become increasingly common.
The study also compared names found in streets that already existed in 1977 with those in more recently developed areas. One of its clearest findings was a decline in religious or sacred names, from approximately 15.8% among the older group to 9.9% in streets developed between 1977 and 2022.
Yet one name continues to stand above the rest: St Joseph. Despite the move towards more secular and varied choices, St. Joseph — together with its different linguistic versions — remains Malta’s most common house name within the localities studied.
After examining this wealth of names, the researchers proposed eight broad categories.
Religion and the sacred
These house names refer to saints, holy figures, religious events, or expressions of faith. The chosen saint may be the patron of the locality in which the house stands or of the town or village from which the family originated.
Examples include Santa Katerina, Holy Family, Madonnina, Immakulata, and Salvajtni Mulej. The collection also contains references to faiths beyond Christianity, such as Shalom and Shiva.
In some localities, devotion to the patron saint remains particularly visible. Names linked to St. Catherine appear frequently in Żejtun, while St. Mary features prominently in Mosta. Qormi’s two parish traditions are reflected in homes named after both St. George and St. Sebastian.
Hobbies and professions
Some names appear to offer clues about the work, interests, or pastimes of the people living inside — or perhaps those who lived there before them.
Synapse may point towards medicine, Sirius towards astronomy, and Woodcock towards hunting or trapping. Il-Karettun evokes Malta’s agricultural past, while The Art Studio suggests a connection with creativity and the arts.
The people inside
Many house names are directly connected to their owners, residents, or families. They may include a surname, nickname, zodiac sign or an affectionate description of the home itself.
Examples include Pisces, Micallef Home, Ta’ Pawlu Farmhouse, My Burrow, Our Nest, and Vella Flats. These names turn a building into something more personal: not simply a property, but a place that belongs to a particular family and carries its identity.
Names within names
A particularly curious Maltese practice involves combining parts of the first names of couples, children, or other family members.
Names such as ChaRit, MarTrev, CarAnt, and NaJoPetAn become small puzzles displayed on the façade. To an outsider, the meaning may be impossible to guess; to the family, however, the name can capture several loved ones in a single word.
Memories from overseas
Other names reveal Malta’s long history of migration. They may recall a country where a family once lived, a city visited during a honeymoon, or a place that remained close to someone’s heart after returning home.
Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States feature strongly — countries that welcomed large numbers of Maltese migrants, particularly in the years following the Second World War. That experience lives on through names such as City of Melbourne, God Bless America, Kangaroo House, and Maple Leaf.
Land, sea, and sky
The natural surroundings are another rich source of inspiration. Some names describe the home’s location or view, while others refer to the weather, the sea, flowers, or the changing light of day.
Il-Qolla, Seaside, Blue Sky, Għabex, Il-Ponta, Bay View, Mistral, Dahlia and Poinsettia all belong to this broad category. Such names often create an image or feeling before a visitor has even stepped through the door.
Sporting loyalties
Sport — and football in particular — also finds its way onto Malta’s façades. Some homeowners choose the name of a club, player or famous stadium as a permanent declaration of sporting loyalty.
Among the examples identified were Anfield, La Vecchia Signora, Old Trafford, Casa Del Piero, San Siro, Hibernians House and White Hart Lane. The list also reaches beyond football, as shown by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Politics and history
A smaller number of house names refer to political personalities, national events, or significant moments in Maltese history.
Names such as Dom, Dar il-Ħelsien, Villa Indipendenza, and 31 ta’ Marzu turn the home into a quiet statement of political memory or allegiance.
Names without labels
Not every house name fits neatly into a category. Boronia, Dolce Vita, Kitty Hawk, Mirage, Saratoga, Shangri-La, and Touch and Go are among the names whose meaning cannot be understood with certainty simply by reading them.
This is also where the limits of categorisation become clear. A name that appears religious, geographical, or sentimental may have a completely different story known only to the person who chose it.
Later University of Malta research in Senglea combined electoral-register data with field visits and conversations with residents. It found that more house names existed than were recorded in the register and warned that seemingly obvious classifications can sometimes be misleading.
The next step, therefore, may not simply be to collect more names but to knock on doors and ask about the stories behind them. That is where Malta’s house names become more than words on a façade: they become fragments of family history, identity, and memory, waiting to be shared.
Godfrey Baldacchino is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Malta.
