Maltese Americans

The first immigrants from Malta to the United States arrived during the mid-eighteenth century to the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. Many Americans assumed Malta was part of Italy. In some cases "Born Malta, Italy" was put on tombstones of Maltese because of the confusion.

At this time and in the nineteenth century the Maltese who emigrated to the United States were still scarce. In fact, in the 1860s, only between five and ten Maltese emigrated to the United States every year. The majority of them were agricultural workers, and, in the case of New Orleans, market gardeners and vegetable dealers.

Estimates of the number of Maltese immigrants and their descendants living in the US by 1990 have been as high as 70,000. The majority of Americans of Maltese descent continued to live in the same cities where immigration had taken place, particularly Detroit (approximately 44,000 Maltese) and New York City (more than 20,000 Maltese); in the latter, most of the people of Maltese origin are concentrated in Astoria, Queens. San Francisco and Chicago also have significant populations.[2]

The 2019 American Community Survey estimated that there were 42,058 Americans of Maltese ancestry living in the United States.[4] Of these, 14,078 have Maltese as their only ancestry.[5] This includes Maltese born immigrants to the United States, their American born descendants as well as numerous immigrants from other nations of Maltese origin. Around 6,506 of them are foreign born.[6]

As in their country of origin, Maltese Americans predominantly practice Roman Catholicism as their religion. Many are practicing Catholics, attending church every week and actively participating in their local parishes.[2]

• Rosemarie Aquilina,[7] judge
• Kyle Balda,[8] animator and film director
• Joseph Borg,[9] financial regulator
• James J. Busuttil, international law scholar and company director
• Joseph Anthony Buttigieg II,[10] literary scholar and translator
• Pete Buttigieg,[11] former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, 2020 presidential candidate, US Secretary of Transportation
• Joseph Calleia,[12] actor and singer
• Orlando E. Caruana,[13] Medal of Honor winner in American Civil War
• Darrin Q. Camilleri,[14] member of the Michigan House of Representatives
• Alex DeBrincat,[15] hockey player
• Aaron Falzon,[16] basketball player
• Tevin Falzon,[17] basketball player
• Danielle Fishel,[18] actress
• Nazzareno Formosa, [19] Roman-Catholic priest
• Joseph Lapira,[20] professional soccer player
• Joe Sacco,[21] cartoonist and journalist
• Britney Spears,[22] singer
• Bryan Spears, [22] film and television producer
• Jamie Lynn Spears,[22] actress and singer
• Lynne Spears,[22] author
• Charlie Williams,[23] professional soccer player
• Frank Zarb, businessman and politician

• Hyphenated American

• Andreassi, Diane. "Maltese Americans." Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 3, Gale, 2014), pp. 163–170. online
• Andreassi, Diane. Maltese in Detroit (Arcadia, 2011).
• Cassar, Paul. Early Relations between Malta and the United States of America (Valletta, Malta: Midsea Books, 1976).
• Lubig, Joseph M. Maltese in Michigan (Michigan State University Press, 2011).

• Maltese American Benevolent Society in Detroit