--- title: "An Overview of Gozo" description: "An Overview of Gozo" url: "https://en.geneanum.com/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/a-snapshot-of-gozo" language: en source: "Digital Genealogy" --- 1. [Introduction](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/introduction.html "Introduction") 2. [Some Random Thoughts](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/some-rambling-thoughts.html "Some Random Thoughts") 3. [Organization of Maltese Family Names](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/a-stratigraphy-of-maltese-surnames.html "Organization of Maltese Family Names") 4. [Hull's Theory on the Girgenti Colony](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/hulls-theory-of-a-girgenti-colony.html "Hull's Theory on the Girgenti Colony") 5. [Early Censuses and Classification of Names](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/early-census-taking-and-surname-rankings.html "Early Censuses and Classification of Names") 6. [The 2005 Census and the Most Common Maltese Names](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/census-2005-and-the-commonest-surnames-in-malta.html "The 2005 Census and the Most Common Maltese Names") 7. [The Pantheon of Maltese Family Names](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/the-pantheon-of-maltese-surnames.html "The Pantheon of Maltese Family Names") 8. [Frequency by Location](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/surname-frequencies-by-location.html "Frequency by Location") 9. An Overview of Gozo 10. [The Parallel 'Australian' Sample](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/the-australian-parallel-sample.html "The Parallel 'Australian' Sample") 11. [Cognates and Doublets](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/cognates-and-doublets.html "Cognates and Doublets") 12. [Multiple Names](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/multiple-surnames.html "Multiple Names") 13. [Disappeared Names](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/extinct-surnames.html "Disappeared Names") # An Overview of Gozo ## by Mario CASSAR The names of medieval Gozo were surprisingly different from those of Malta. **Vella** barely existed, whereas it constituted a hefty 3% of Malta's names in 1419. **Zammit**, **Micallef**, **Zarb**, **Ellul**, **Caruana**, and *Chilia* (cf. **Cilia**), among others, are barely discernible throughout the Middle Ages, while **Refalo**, *Mintuf* (cf. **Mintoff**), *Manuele* (cf. **Demanuele**), **Rapa** and many others only appear in Malta when members of these families crossed over to the larger island ([56](#s56)). In the 15th and 16th centuries, Gozo had its own privileged group of local aristocrats and landed nobility. Most of the nobles were of foreign origin; they included the families *Puntetremulo* (or *Pontremoli*), *La Barba*, **Navarro**, *Platamone*, *de* *Naso*, *de Federico*, *de* *Sahona*, and **Mompalao**. The landowners included the families **Apap**, *Maira* (cf. **Amaira**), *de* *Anastasio* (cf. **Anastasi**), *Caxaro*, *de* *Bisconis*, **Saliba**, *Episcopo* (cf. **Piscopo**), **Mannara**, **Sansone** and *Fantino* ([57](#s57)). The catastrophe of 1551 precipitated an almost complete break in the history of Gozo. Virtually the entire population of the island, with the exception of a handful of decrepit men, was enslaved and the surviving evidence shows that most of the prisoners ended their days in Constantinople. Only a few managed to escape or obtain their freedom and even fewer were ever able to return home. Members of the families *De* *Apapis* (cf. **Apap**), *de* *Alagona*, *Castilletta*, **Navarra**, *Platamone*, and *Pontremoli* had the necessary funds to ransom themselves. Some of the names of the captives ransomed as well as those who languished in the Ottoman capital are known to us from notarial deeds and subsequent judicial proceedings. It can safely be deduced that the persons represented by the names *Agueina*, *Aluisa*, *Calimera*, *Cainba*, *Gerardu*, *Giarda*, *Lazu*, *Lazarun*, *Marinara*, *Xaura*, *Xluc*, and *Xucula* died in captivity since these family names, recorded before 1551, are never encountered again in Gozo or Malta ([58](#s58)). It is therefore understandable that most of the medieval-era family names of Gozo were wiped out. A comparison of the common family names on the island before 1551 with those from a 1664 list of Gozo protesters shows that there is only a 20% overlap ([59](#s59)). Some of the ransomed slaves sought refuge in Malta, particularly in Valletta and the Three Cities; others settled in Sicily, particularly in Trapani and Licata. Grand Master Juan D'Omedes and his Council initially toyed with the idea of abandoning the island, but there seems to have been a semblance of a return to normality from 1553 onwards. Motivated by the possibility of acquiring real estate abandoned by the unransomed inhabitants of Gozo, many Maltese and some Sicilians (for example *de* *Soltano* -- cf **Sultana**, *de* *Sciacca*, *Cuchinella*, **Carnemolla**, **Parascandalo**), began to emigrate to and repopulate the island. The vast majority of emigrants to Gozo, nearly 60%, came from only three main regions of Malta: (a) Naxxar, Mosta, Għargħur; (b) Żebbuġ, Siġġiewi; and (c) Żurrieq, Safi, Qrendi ([60](#s60)). In this way, common Maltese family names, which were totally absent from pre-1551 Gozo, have persisted on the island to this day, as evidenced by the *Status Animarum* documents. They include: **Agius, Attard, Azzopardi, Bezzina, Borg, Camilleri, Cassar, Ciantar, Cumbo, Debono, Frendo, Gatt, Grima, Mallia, Mangion, Muscat, Pace, Portelli, Psaila, Schembri, Scicluna, Spiteri** and **Xuereb** ([61](#s61)). Despite the constant influx of new immigrants, it was not until around the middle of the 17th century that the population of Gozo recovered to the 1551 level (five to six thousand). In 1637, the law requiring all inhabitants of Gozo to spend the night in the *Castello* was repealed and people began to permanently abandon their cramped dwellings inside the walls for more spacious homes in Rabat and the countryside. Eventually, these settlements began to push for autonomy as these rapidly growing communities were far from happy with the way their spiritual needs were being met. Xewkija was erected as a parish in 1678; Gharb followed suit in 1679. When Xagħra, Sannat, Nadur, and Żebbuġ acquired the same status in 1688, Gozo's settlement pattern was officially confirmed ([62](#s62)). At present, Gozo (population of approximately 31,000) consists of 14 distinct localities — a single town, Rabat, and 13 villages. These can be divided into three groups according to population size. The first group includes Rabat, Nadur, Xagħra and Xewkija, all of which have a population exceeding the 3,000 mark. Next, Għajnsielem, Gharb, Kercem, Qala, Sannat, and Żebbuġ have between 1,000 and 3,000 inhabitants. The population of Fontana, Għasri, Munxar, and San Lawrenz is still below the 1,000 mark. According to the 2005 census, the most common family names in Gozo are: **Vella** = 1,492 (4.8%), **Attard** = 1,338 (4.3%), **Camilleri** = 1,187 (3.8%), **Grech** = 1,146 (3.7%), and **Portelli** = 966 (3.1%). The top ten is completed by **Buttigieg**, **Sultana**, **Azzopardi**, **Spiteri** and **Zammit**. The absence of **Borg** from the top five is quite remarkable — it actually ranks 14th and is only significantly present in the top five of the Fontana list. These statistics indicate that 19.7% of the total population of Gozo shares only five names. Gozo is a microcosm with its own peculiarities and unique distinctive characteristics. The genetic structure of Gozitans is reflected in their family names. Gozo, much more so than Malta, has a very homogeneous population. For a long period of time, there was minimal exchange with the outside world, and until the post-war period, the various villages of Gozo were isolated from one another. Most marriages took place between inhabitants of the same village. This invariably led to a high degree of endogamy, particularly in the smaller villages. *A Picture of Gozo: Studies on the Ethnographic, Educational, and Health Aspects of Life in Gozo (Malta, 1998)* by Maurice N. Cauchi is undoubtedly the first study to show the relationship between villages measured by surname analysis ([63](#s63)). Some family names (such as **Vella** and **Attard**) are ubiquitous and appear at high frequency throughout the island. Others (such as **Piscopo**, **Stellini**, and **Cini**) are limited to one or two villages, probably indicating a founder effect with minimal dissemination. The study of family names of a small island population such as that of Gozo could be of anthropological interest, and may shed light on genetic drifts within a community. According to Cauchi, the most frequent family names of Gozo are found in most localities. **Vella**, in particular, is found in the top six of all places, with the exception of Xagħra. Some names are largely limited to one or two particular localities (for example **Cini** in Żebbuġ; **Zerafa** in Għajnsielem; **Curmi**, **Debrincat**, and **Parnis** in Munxar; **Refalo**, **Sultana** and **Bigeni** in Xagħra; **Camenzuli** in Gharb; **Meilaq**, **Falzon**, and **Muscat** in Nadur; **Sacco**, **Bezzina** and **Scicluna** in Rabat; **Dingli** in Xewkija; **Piscopo** in Gharb and San Lawrenz; **Cefai** in Qala and Żebbuġ). The degree of homogeneity of the population in a locality can be indicated by the proportion of the population sharing a single name. A name can represent anywhere between 6% to 17% of the total population of a village/town. In the villages of Żebbuġ and San Lawrenz the surnames **Cini** and **Grima** represent respectively 16.9% and 17.0% of the population, while in Qala and Kercem the surnames **Buttigieg** and **Grech** represent respectively 14.1% and 13.7% of the population ([64](#s64)). The top six family names in San Lawrenz, Żebbuġ, and Qala encompass 55.11%, 54.02% and 45.42% of the respective populations, making them the most homogeneous localities in all of Gozo. The least homogeneous localities are Rabat and Għasri where only 28.75% and 28.66% of the population is covered by the six most common names. Isonymy implies the sharing of the same family name by two persons, and therefore also the proportion at which this occurs. In demographic studies, isonymy is measured by a specific value called alpha, which thus reflects the degree of surname frequency. A high level of alpha would then be expected to directly correlate with the degree of consanguinity. The highest alpha values are found in the small villages, particularly Għasri (disproportionately so), Fontana, Sannat, and San Lawrenz. The lowest values, as expected, are found in Rabat ([65](#s65)). It is quite interesting to determine the degree to which the most common family names are shared across various localities in Gozo: **Buttigieg**, **Vella** and **Portelli** in Nadur and Qala; **Cauchi**, **Formosa** and **Vella** in Gharb and San Lawrenz; **Azzopardi**, **Vella** and **Xuereb** in Xewkija and Għajnsielem; **Vella**, **Camilleri** and **Zammit** in Rabat and Żebbuġ; **Attard**, **Grech** and **Vella** in Rabat and Għasri ([66](#s66)). This probably indicates a certain degree of mixing occurring in the past between these localities. Some villages appear to be unique in that they do not share a single common family name to any great extent. Among these the most obvious are Fontana and Sannat. It is quite plausible that a name appeared in one locality (founder effect) and spread from there to various other areas in a radial manner. A highly speculative attempt at explanation is as follows: **Portelli** and **Vella** appeared in Nadur and spread to Qala, and from there to Gharb. **Buttigieg** probably started in Qala and migrated to Nadur, and from there to Għajnsielem. **Vella** and **Camilleri** link Nadur to Rabat and from there Żebbuġ. **Vella** and **Xerri** link Qala to Xewkija ([67](#s67)). Additional evidence of such migration would be needed to confirm these suggestions. Notes: 1. G. Wettinger, 'The History of Gozo from the Early Middle Ages to Modern Time', in C. Cini (ed.), *Gozo. The Roots of an Island*, Malta: Said International, 1990, p. 58. 2. Wettinger (1990), p. 56. 3. S. Fiorini, 'The 1551 Siege of Gozo and the Repopulation of the Island', in J. Farrugia and L. Briguglio (eds), *A Focus on Gozo*, Gozo: University Gozo Centre, 1996, p. 78. 4. Wettinger (1990), p. 58. 5. Fiorini, p. 86. Cf. also G. Wettinger, 'The Gozitan Captives of 1551', in *Malta Year Book*, Malta, 1977, pp. 427--30. 6. Fiorini, p. 86. 7. Cf. J. Bezzina, 'Gozo 1668 -- The Village Communities Confirmed', in *MaltaYear Book*, Malta, 1988, pp. 391--3. 8. Cauchi based his population estimates on the figures contained in the *Government Gazette* of 29/04/1997. 9. Cauchi, p. 22 10. Cauchi, p. 30. 11. Cauchi, p. 27. Note that while Rabat shares three common names with two villages (Għasri and Żebbuġ), the names involved are different, and only the ubiquitous **Vella** is shared between them.). 12. Cauchi, p. 47 Text published with the kind permission of Mario CASSAR 1. [Introduction](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/introduction.html "Introduction") 2. [Some Random Thoughts](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/some-rambling-thoughts.html "Some Random Thoughts") 3. [Organization of Maltese Family Names](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/a-stratigraphy-of-maltese-surnames.html "Organization of Maltese Family Names") 4. [Hull's Theory on the Girgenti Colony](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/hulls-theory-of-a-girgenti-colony.html "Hull's Theory on the Girgenti Colony") 5. [Early Censuses and Classification of Names](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/early-census-taking-and-surname-rankings.html "Early Censuses and Classification of Names") 6. [The 2005 Census and the Most Common Maltese Names](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/census-2005-and-the-commonest-surnames-in-malta.html "The 2005 Census and the Most Common Maltese Names") 7. [The Pantheon of Maltese Family Names](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/the-pantheon-of-maltese-surnames.html "The Pantheon of Maltese Family Names") 8. [Frequency by Location](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/surname-frequencies-by-location.html "Frequency by Location") 9. An Overview of Gozo 10. [The Parallel 'Australian' Sample](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/the-australian-parallel-sample.html "The Parallel 'Australian' Sample") 11. [Cognates and Doublets](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/cognates-and-doublets.html "Cognates and Doublets") 12. [Multiple Names](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/multiple-surnames.html "Multiple Names") 13. [Disappeared Names](/malta/documents/genealogy/aspects-of-maltese-surnames/extinct-surnames.html "Disappeared Names")