19,104 surnames in Malta - double-barrel surnames soar

The census held in Malta in 2011 recorded 19,104 different surnames of which Borg, Camilleri and Vella were the most common, covering almost 10 per cent of the population. The National Statistics Office said that almost 14,000 residents, or 3.3 per cent of the total population, had a double-barrel surname, an increase of around 45 per cent compared to the 2005 Census, when 9,507 persons were enumerated as such. Of these, 2,917 residents, or 21.2 per cent, were non-Maltese. Localities with the highest proportion of residents having a double-barrel surname were Mdina, with 15 per cent, followed by Swieqi (8.3 per cent),  Balzan (8 per cent) and Tas-Sliema (7.7 per cent). Localities in Gozo recorded the smallest proportions of persons with a double-barrel surname. Residents having a double-barrel surname tended to be relatively younger, with an average age of 32.4 years , compared to 40.8 for other residents. MOST COMMON SURNAMES The top ten surnames were identical in rank to those recorded in the 2005 Census, and accounted for almost one-fourth of the population. In particular, 13,610 persons, or 3.3 per cent of the population, bore the surname Borg, followed by Camilleri and Vella,...