L-ETMOLOĠIJA TA’ KUNJOMIJIET TA’ KITTIEBA SĦABI LI KELLI KUNTATT MAGĦHOM PERSONALI (L-EWWEL 5) Tarċisju Zarb – Siculo-Arabic – place-name; apocopated form of Sic. Surname Zarbo, Sic. zzarbu meaning “barrier, boundary wall”, from Ar. Zarb meaning (a) “cattle pen”, or (b) “hunter’s booth”, or (c) “hedge, thicket, enclosure, water channel” (Caracausi, Aquilina: 1964). Old local forms: Sarbo, Zarbe, Czarb, Zarp, Zarba/u – e.g. Bertinu Zarbu, c.1417 (Miltia Roster). Zarb happens to be the name of a vase-shaped drum used in Iran, otherwise known as darabukka (Princeton). Raymond Grech – Italian – place-name or nickname; apocopated form of surname Greco, It. Greco, Lat. Graecus meaning “Greek, a native of or an immigrant originated from Greece” (Caracausi). In the Middle Ages the demonym was also used to designate members of the Greek Orthodox Church (Caracausi). In some cases, it might have been merely a byname for a crafty or guideful person, for those were the qualities traditionally attributed to the Greeks (Oxford). Cp. Fr. Surname Grec(h), which prevails mainly in the Alpes-Maritimes (Noms de Familles). Related It. Forms: Lo/Del Greco, Grieco, Grego, Creco, (La) Greca, (Li) Greci, Grec(c)hi, Greg(h)i, Grecia. Old local forms: Greg(u), Grec(i), Gregh, Grehc, La Greca, Graec, Grecus, Greco - e.g. Johannes Greco, an emancipated serf, 1372 (Fiorini:1999); Grecu(s) – e.g. Nicolaus Grecus, 1277 (Wittinger:1999). Grech is the eight commonest surname in Malta. Its numbers are furtherly augmented by several double-barrelled surnames such as Grech Ellul, Grech Mallia, Grech Marguerat, and Grech Sant. The surname Grech (in various forms) is represented both in the Militia List of 1419/20 and the Angara Roster of the 1480’s (Wettinger:1968). Greco is a pan-Sic surname, while Grieco is mainly Neapolitan (Hull). Ironically, in Sardinia the term grecu usually carries contemptuous connotations; for example, in Nuoro it means “miser, niggard”, while in Campidano di Oristano it means “swindler, trickster” (Manconi). Anton Sammut – Frans Sammut (late) Patrick Sammut, Salv Sammut – Arabic –personal name of nickname; Ar. f.n. Samit meaning “tactic”, samt meaning “silence”. Among several extremist Shiite groups, al-samit is the designation of a messenger of God who does not reveal a new law, as opposed to al-natik, a speaking prophet (Islam). Pellegrini (1972) links it with surname Zambuto, itself a hypercorrect variant of Zammuto, Ar samut meaning “silent”. Old local forms: Zam(m)ut, Zambut(o), Sambuto, Samud(i) – e.g. Antoni Samudi, c. 1417 (Miltia Roster). An old form of the surname is already attested in Sicily in 1145; it figures among the names of Muslim serfs under Norman rule (Cusa). The name of the old (and extinct) Mal. Ħamlet Ħal Sammut (formerly a.ka Casali Samudi), located near Gargur, actually means “farmsted of the Sammut family” (Wettinger:2000) Omar Seguna – Italian – place-name; dial. form of surname Sagona, itself another form of surname Savona (q.v), top. Savona, the Ligurain city. Related local form: Saguna. Old local forms: Sagona, Saona, (De)Sahona, (De)Saguna – e.g. Rogerius de Saguna, priest, 1398 (Fiorini:1999); Di Sahon – recorded at Civitas (Mdina) in 1419 (Wettinger:1968). The surname Seguna was quite common in the 15th century Gozo, from where it eventually moved to Malta (Wettinger:2000). In present-day Sicily; the surname is mainly concentrated in Palermo (Caracausi); Sagana is actually the name of a mountain near this locality. Therese Pace – Italian – personal name; auspicious med. f.n. Pace (both fem. and mas.), It. pace, Lat. pax, pacis meaning “peace, pardon” (Caracausi). Occasionally it might be an apheretic form of such med. anthroponyms as Bonpace, Menapace, and Acquistapace, or even a literal translation of Gk. f.n. Eirene (De Felice:1978). In some local cases, it might be a notarial calque of Ar. f.n. Selem or Jew. f.n. Shalom (Wettinger:1968). Related foreign forms: Paci, Pase/i, Pasio, Di/De Pace, Pacelli, Pacilli, Paciello, Paciullo, Paselli/o, Pasetti/o, Pacetto/i, Pacitti, Pacino/i (It.); Pache, Paix(Fr.); Paz (Sp.). Old local forms: Pax, Pac(i), Pachi – e.g. Burdinu Pachi, c.1417 (Miltia Roster). The Pax/Pace noble family held the fields of Bucelli (1372) and La Culeya (a.k.a Culeja or Qlejja) (1472) (Montalto). The term occurs in several It. toponyms: Pace (communes in Messina and L’Aquila), as well as La Pace and Monte Pace. References: Caracausi Aquilina Fiorini Wettinger Manconi Surnames of the Maltese Islands (Mario Cassar)
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 07:11:56 +0000