The Maltese surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 1,887 people carried this name — #15,508 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 156,300 people counted. That is down 1% from 1,897 in 2000.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 238 people named Maltese live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 215 people named Maltese.
Most of them — 183 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 12 départements, most often Alpes-Maritimes.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
52 people named Maltese live in Switzerland.
They live in 10 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Basel-Stadt.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In print
Maltese in American newspapers,
1885–1912.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 275,732 pages in all carry the name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Maltese.
When the index is not enough
This page says where Maltese is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.