COMMENTS RELATING TO INDIVIDUAL LOCALITIES

The following is a summary of findings relating to individual localities:

FONTANA

Population:

965

Number of surnames analysed:  

726

Proportion analysed:

75.2%

Commonest surnames: The commonest surnames in this locality (given as a percentage of the total number of surnames analysed) are: Galea (7.2%), Borg (6.8%), Farrugia (4.6%), Attard (4.6%), and Cassar (4.1%).

Relative Frequency: (proportion of persons with a particular surname in the locality as a proportion of all persons with that particular surname in Gozo). The following surnames are found more frequently than expected:

RF%

O-E %

Schembri

23

600

Cordina

16

433

Bezzina

12

400

Cutajar

10

275

Surnames with less than expected frequency: Buttigieg, Grima, Azzopardi.

Distribution: One surname accounts for only 7% of the population of the village, thus making this village one of the least homogeneous. Three surnames account for 19% and 6 surnames for 36% of the population of Fontana.


GHAJNSIELEM

Total Population:

2459

Number of surnames analysed:  

1656

Proportion analysed:

67.3%

The most common surnames are the following: Xuereb (7.7%), Azzopardi (4.8%), Grech (4.8%), Buttigieg (4.7%), Zerafa (4.6%), Vella (4.2%), Grima (3.7%).

Relative Frequency:

The following surnames have a high relative frequency:

RF%

O-E%

Zerafa

47

591

Debattista

41

433

Rapa

26

283

Xuereb

24

252

Vassallo

22

200

Scicluna

17

164

Surnames with lower frequency than expected:: Axiaq, Bajada, Curmi, Formosa, Cini,Farrugia, Attard,Camilleri,Micallef.

Distribution: One surname covers 8% of the population; 3 surnames 17% and 6 surnames 31% Thus this village shows relative heterogeneity.


GHARB

Population:

1134

Number of surnames analysed:  

819

Percentage analysed:

75.2 %

The most common surnames found in this village are: Vella (6.6% of Gharb population), Cassar (6.6%), Cauchi (6.5%), Micallef (5.3%), Portelli (5.0%), Formosa (4.4%), Agius (4.3%), Piscopo (3.3%), Caruana (3.2%), Apap (2.6%)

The distribution is fairly even. There is no one surname which constitutes more than 10 % of the population of the village. The 3 most common surnames cover just under 20% of the village population, and the 6 most common surnames account for 34 % of the village population.

However, the relative frequency of each individual surname shows that certain surnames are much more common than expected, compared to other villages. The highest relative incidence is as follows:

RF

O-E%

Camenzuli

53.6

1400

Piscopo

41.5

1250

Apap

18.8

425

Micallef

17.4

437

Cauchi

14.0

307

This means that over half of all the Camenzuli's in Gozo live in Gharb. Likewise over 40% of the Piscopo's come from this village. Notice that these surnames are relatively infrequent (only 28 persons with the surname Camenzuli in Gozo and only 27 with the surname Piscopo.)


GHASRI

Population:

428

Number of surnames analysed:  

342

Proportion analysed:

79.9%

This is the smallest village, and therefore statistics are least reliable.

The commonest surnames are the following: Vella (6.1%), Attard (5.4%), Saliba (4.7%), Caruana (4.4%), Grech (4.1%), Tabone (3.8%)

Relative frequency: The following surnames appear more frequent than expected, but numbers are small: Aquilina, Bezzina,Formosa and Saliba.

Distribution: One surname accounts for 6% of the population, while 3 surnames account for 16 % and 6 surnames account for 29 %. So, in spite of its small size, it is the most heterogeneous (and of the same order as Rabat, the biggest locality).


KERCEM

Total Population:

1655

Number of surnames analysed:  

1165

Proportion analysed:

70.4%

The most common surnames are the following: Grech (13.7%), Spiteri (7.9%), Vella (7.8%), Formosa (5.4%), Borg (4.6%) and Sultana (4.3%).

High Relative Frequency:

RF%

O-E%

Parnis

26

450

Formosa

21

350

Grech

18

272

Refalo

17

240

Spiteri

15

217

Gauci

15

217

Surnames with low relative frequency:

RF

O-E%

Muscat

26

-92

Saliba,

19

-100

Zammit,

29

-93

Buttigieg,

35

-89

Portelli,

35

-77

Xuereb

25

-84

Distribution: One surname covers 14 % of the village population (high degree of homogeneity). Three surnames cover 29 % and 6 surnames 44%.


MUNXAR

Total Population:

930

Number of surnames analysed:  

495

Proportion analysed:

53.2%

The commonest surnames are the following: Debrincat (8.1%), Bajada (6.1%), Curmi (5.7%), Vella (4.4%), Parnis (3.8%) and Mercieca (3.8%)

Relative Frequency: The following have a higher than expected frequency:

RF

O-E%

Parnis

45

1800

Debrincat

20

900

Curmi

13

600

Bugeja

8

300

Scicluna

7

267

Said

5

157

Notice the very much higher than expected frequency of Parnis and Debrincat and Curmi. which are 6 - 18 times more common than expected.

Surnames with less than expected frequency:

Expected

O-E %

Attard

21

-100

Portelli

15

-100

Camilleri

19

-74

Distribution: The commonest surname covers 8% of the population; 3 surnames cover 20 % and 6 surnames cover 33%


NADUR

Total population:

4266

Number of surnames analysed:  

2939

Proportion of total population:

68.9%

The most common surnames are as follows: Camilleri (10.3%), Muscat (9.2%), Portelli (9.1%), Said (5.2%), Buttigieg (5.0%), Vella (4.4%) and Attard (4.0%).

The commonest surname accounts for around 10% of the village population; the 3 commonest surnames account for 29%, while 6 surnames account for 43 %.

Some surnames appear much more frequently than expected, as follows:

Relative frequency:

RF%

O-E%

Meilaq

60

411

Falzon

57

392

Muscat

49

314

Sammut

44

261

Said

40

246

Portelli

36

203

Camilleri

31

162

Surnames like Meilaq and Falzon appear around 4 times more often than expected.


QALA

Total Population:

1615

Number of surnames analysed:  

1169

Percent analysed:

72.4%

The most common surnames are the following: Buttigieg (14.1), Portelli (6.8), Xerri (6.4), Vella (6.4), Mizzi (5.1), Cutajar (3.4), Cefai (4.1).

Relative Frequency:

RF

O-E%

Cefai

30

533

Abela

28

460

Cutajar

27

471

Buttigieg

22

371

Magro

21

325

Bigeni

17

300

Some surnames (Cefai, Abela, Cutajar) are five times more frequent than expected. None of these are common surnames.

Less than expected frequency of surnames such as: Zammit, Farrugia, Grech, Azzopardi, Sultana, Muscat and Attard,

Distribution: One surname (Buttigieg) represents 14% of the village population (one of the highest proportions for the whole of Gozo); 3 surnames account for 28% and 6 surnames for 45%.


RABAT

Total Population:

6494

Number of surnames analysed:  

4869

Proportion of total population analysed:  

75%

The most common surnames in Rabat are as follows: Grech (6.1% of the town's population), Vella (5.6%), Farrugia (4.9%), Attard ( 4.6%), Zammit (4.3%), Camilleri (3.2%), Mercieca (3.0), Portelli (2.6%), Borg (2.5%), Galea (2.4%), Cassar (2.2%).

Analysis of relative frequency : 66% of all the Sacco's in Gozo live in Rabat. This is more than twice (228%) of the expected number. The other surnames with increased frequency are shown below:

RF

O-E%

Sacco

66

228

Ellis

61

250

Scicluna

52

167

Bezzina

51

156

Fenech

46

135

Farrugia

43

120

Gatt

40

103

However (in contrast to some other localities, (eg Gharb), in no case is the O-E PC greater than 300. Surnames which appear under-represented: numbers too small to draw any conclusions.

The distribution appears fairly even: The most common surname accounts for only 6.1% of the town's population, while the most common 3 surnames account for 17% and the most common 6 surnames account for 29 % . This is one of the flattest distribution of surnames in the Island.


SAN LAWRENZ

Total Population:

601

Number of surnames analysed:  

441

Proportion analysed:

73.4%

The commonest surnames are as follows: Grima (17.0%), Cauchi (11.1%) Formosa (9.3%), Cassar (8.8%), Piscopo (4.5%), Vella (4.3%) Micallef (4.3%).

Relative frequency: More common than expected surnames:

RF

O-E%

Piscopo

31

1900

Formosa

14

720

Grima

13

650

Cauchi

3

600

Cassar

8

333

Uniquely, the surname "Piscopo" is found 19 times the expected frequency. The surnames Formosa, Grima and Cauchi are 6-7 times more frequent than expected.

Surnames with lower frequency than expected: Because of the small size of the village, all the Expected figures are less than 20, However the following stand out:

Exp

O-E%

Camilleri

17

-100

Azzopardi

12

-100

Grech

16

-81

Several other surnames such as Buttigieg, Portelli, Sultana, Spiteri, etc, appear less frequent than expected, but the numbers are too small.

Distribution: This village represents the most homogeneous distribution of all villages. One surname accounts for 17% of the population; 3 surnames cover 37 % and 6 surnames 55%.


SANNAT

Total Population:

1742

No of surnames analysed:

1221

Proportion analysed:

70.1%

The most common surnames are as follows: Muscat (6.9%), Spiteri (5.7%), Vella (5.2%), Curmi (5.0%), Grima (4.8%), Bajada (4.3%) and Azzopardi (4.3%).

Relative Frequency: The following surnames have a high relative frequency:

RF

O-E%

Pisani

28

460

Curmi

28

454

Bajada

18

247

Muscat

15

211

Lower than expected frequency for (common) surnames: Formosa, Gatt, Cini, Xerri, Portelli, Buttigieg and Grech

Homogeneity: One surname accounts for 7% of the population; 3 surnames account for 18 % and 6 surnames for 32%. Thus this village represent a certain degree of heterogeneity, with no major prominence for a small number of surnames.


XAGHRA

Total Population:

3969

Number of surnames analysed:  

2716

Proportion of population:

68.4%

The most common surnames: Sultana (12.8%), Attard (7.3%), Bajada (4.3%), Galea (4.2%), Refalo (3.8%), Xerri (3.8%), Mercieca (3.0%)

The 3 most common surnames account for 24 % of the village population (just one name accounts for 13 %); and 6 surnames account for 36 %.

Relative frequency:

RF%

O-E%

Refalo

51

373

Sultana

51

364

Bigeni

42

300

Bajada

38

252

Theuma

38

250

Bonello

37

240

Bartolo

35

209

Fiteni

30

200

Less than expected (common ) surnames:

0 -E%

Cauchi

-91

Grech

-52

Buttigieg

-48

Vella

-45


XEWKIJA:

Total Population:

3331

Number of surnames analysed:  

2379

Proportion analysed:

71.4%

The most common surnames: Attard (7.4%), Vella (7.2%), Xuereb (6.4%), Azzopardi (6.2%), Spiteri (4.5%) Xerri (3.9%), and Saliba (3.9%).

Relative Frequency:

RF

O-E%

Dingli

83

700

Hili

40

312

Pace

33

252

Bonnici

30

211

Xuereb

28

196

Rapa

25

159

Less than expected (common) surnames: Calleja, Camilleri, Cassar, Cauchi, Buttigieg, Formosa, Muscat and Sultana,

Distribution: This village is relative heterogeneous. The most common surname accounts for only 7% of the village population; 3 surnames account for 21 % and 6 surnames for 36%.


ZEBBUG

Population:

1765

Number of surnames analysed:  

883

Proportion analysed:

50.0%

It is not clear why the proportion of persons on the electoral register is so low - only 50% of the total population.

The commonest surnames are: Cini (16.9%), Vella (9.7%), Saliba (8.6%), Zammit (7.0%), Camilleri (6.2%).

Relative Frequency

RF %

O-E %

Cini

49.3

1254

Cefai

39.1

900

Dimech

35.3

900

Saliba

19.3

443

Calleja

15.9

328

Axiaq

14.5

340

Less than expected: Buttigieg, Grima, Mercieca, Sultana and Grech.

Distribution: One surname accounts for 17% of the population, while 3 surnames account for 35% and 6 surnames for 54%. Thus this village shows very high degree of homogeneity, comparable with that of St Lawrence, one of the smallest villages. Presumably this indicates a higher degree of in-breeding than other villages.


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