Maltese American

Total population
Maltese 35,103 Americans [1] 0.01% of the U.S population (2010)
Languages
English, Maltese
Religion
Roman Catholicism
Related ethnic groups
Maltese in the United Kingdom, Maltese Australian, Sicilian American, Gibraltarian

Maltese American is a citizen or resident of the United States with ethnic origins in the southern European nation of Malta.

History[link]

The first immigrants from Malta in the United States arrived to this country in 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. However, 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 emigrated to the United States between five and ten Maltese every year. The majority of them were agricultural workers, and, in New Orleans case, market gardeners and vegetable dealers. After World War I, in 1919, Maltese immigration to the US increased. Thus, just in the first quarter of 1920 more than 1,300 Maltese immigrated to the United States. Detroit, Michigan, with jobs in the expanding automobile industry, drew the largest share of immigrants. It is believed that in the following years, more than 15,000 Maltese people emigrated in the United States, getting later the U.S. citizenship.

A significant percentage of early Maltese immigrants intended to stay only temporarily for work, but many settled in the US permanently. In addition to Detroit, other industrial cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, California, attracted Maltese immigrants. More late, after World War II, the Maltese Government committed to pay the passage costs to Maltese people that would want emigrate and live during at least two years in the abroad. This program led to increased of emigration by the people of the island and make that approximately 8,000 Maltese arrived to the United States between the 1947 and 1977 years. Also during this century, the island's government also promoted the Maltese emigration because the island was overpopulated. A Maltese community thrives in San Pedro and Long Beach.^[2]

Demography[link]

The majority of Maltese immigrants arrived in the first half of the twentieth century, settling in cities like Detroit, New York City, San Francisco, and Chicago. The majority of Americans of Maltese descent now live in these four cities, particularly Detroit (approximately 44,000 Maltese) and New York City (more than 20,000 Maltese), the latter mostly concentrated in Astoria, Queens.^[2]

Number of Maltese Americans[link]

The 2010 American Community Survey estimated 35,103 Americans of Maltese ancestry.^[1] Of these, 24,202 have Maltese as their first ancestry.^[3] This includes Maltese born immigrants to the United States, their American born descendants as well as numerous immigrants from other nations of Maltese origin.

Religion[link]

As in their country of origin, the Maltese American predominately practice Roman Catholicism as their religion. They are practicing Catholics, attending church every week and actively participating in their local parishes.^[2]

Notable individuals[link]

See Category:American people of Maltese descent

See also[link]

• European American
• Hyphenated American

References[link]

v t e Maltese diaspora Australia · Belgium · Brazil · Gibraltar · Italy · United Kingdom · United States