If you go to the main square in the old part of Qormi and shout out the name ‘George’, at least 10 men will turn their heads sharply.

Former president George Abela was named after St George, patron saint of one of the Qormi parishes. Photo: Darrin Zammit LupiFormer president George Abela was named after St George, patron saint of one of the Qormi parishes. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

It would seem that half of the people in Qormi, the birthplace of former president George Abela, are called George after the patron saint of the old parish.

And men in the other half of the town would be called Basjtan after St Sebastian, the patron saint of the newer parish.

But how common is it for people to be named after the patron saint?

The question has been answered in a paper published by Joseph Brincat, a professor of Italian linguistics at the University of Malta, entitled ‘Patron Saints and Baptism Names in Malta’.

“There certainly is a collective attachment to the patron saint of the village which is reflected in the baptism names of the children,” Prof. Brincat said.

If we take Qormi as an example: in 1965, there were 462 Georges and 261 Georgias; 20 were called Sebastian and 15 Sebastiana.

St George, the patron saint of Qormi. Photo: Matthew MirabelliSt George, the patron saint of Qormi. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

In 1985 there was an increase: 617 men were called George. Sebastians still lagged behind, with only 65 men registered under that name. In 2005, there were 599 men called George and 85 called Sebastiano.

But some families have also juggled both saints such as the well-known Dalli family of former EU Commissioner John Dalli, whose brothers were named Bastjan and George.

“Of course, one has to keep in mind that, in the Christian world, the devotion to St George is much stronger. Also Sebastian was never much of a popular name for boys,” Prof. Brincat said. Neither for girls: the only incidences of the name Sebastiana in Malta are all in Qormi.

Valletta sees a similar pattern, with the two main parishes of St Paul and St Domenic vying for the most popular baptism names.

Former archbishop Paul Cremona was named after St Paul, patron saint of a Valletta parish. Photo: Darrin Zammit LupiFormer archbishop Paul Cremona was named after St Paul, patron saint of a Valletta parish. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

Former Archbishop Paul Cremona was named after the patron saint of the capital city – albeit he later joined the Dominican order.

In 1948 there were 336 Pauls and 71 Dominics, but half a century later the number was halved because of the decline in the capital city’s population.

The pattern is seen in various other towns and villages. In Siġġiewi, the name Nicholas is very important; in Ħamrun, it is the name Gaetan. In Birkirkara you can find hundreds of Helens.

According to Prof. Brincat, with the widespread movement of the last 50 years and with people living outside their birth village, the ancient tradition was weakening but less so in Gozo, where the link between unusual names and patron saints is very strong.

In 1985, out of the 47 Gozitans called Coronato, 38 lived in Nadur where San Coronato is a secondary patron saint. The primary feast in the village is that of St Peter and St Paul and, in fact, the majority of the people called Peter Paul – 119 of them – were from Nadur.

Loreta is another odd name popular in Gozo. Between 1948 and 1965, a total of 80 Gozitan women were named Loreta and half of those lived in Għajnsielem, where they celebrate the feast of the Madonna of Loreto. In 2005, there were 44 women with the name, albeit with a more modern twist of Loretta or Lorietta.

Prof. Brincat said the name trends today tended to reflect more admiration for actors, singers and celebrities than reverence to the village patron saint.

“However, we cannot say that traditional names have vanished altogether.”

Meanwhile, when in the Qormi square, you’re better off calling out your friend by his surname or rather nickname.

Named after a saint

Qormi – St George
Names: Ġorġ, Giorgio, George, Georgina, Giorgia, Georgette,

Qormi – St Sebastian
Names: Sebastian, Sebastiano, Sebastiana, Bastjan

Valletta – St Paul
Names: Paul, Paolo, Pawlu, Paolino, Pawla, Paolina, Pauline, Paulette

Valletta – St Dominic
Names: Dominic, Domenica

Siġġiewi – St Nicholas
Names: Nicholas, Nikola, Nicholine

Victoria – St George
Names: Ġorġ, Giorgio, George, Georgina, Giorgia, Georgette,

Għajnsielem – St Loreta
Names: Loreto, Loreta, Loretta, Lorietta

Nadur – St Peter and St Paul
Names: Peter, Paul

Nadur – San Coronato
Names: Coronato, Coranata

Ħamrun – St Gaetan
Names: Gaetan, Gejtu

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.