Micallef
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Micallef is a Maltese
surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...
. It has been recorded in
Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
since ancient times, and its origins probably lie in the name Micali, a variant of
Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...
(in
Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
, Michael means "Who is like God?"). However, another possible derivation for the surname is the Maltese word "mħallef", which means 'judge', and thus its origin is not certain. This surname is found in various Medieval records, normally as Makluffi. Prior to the late 15th century, most people bearing this surname were of the Jewish faith. Recorded in over two hundred spellings, some examples of which are shown below, this is a European medieval surname of crusader, but ultimately biblical origins. Deriving from the ancient Hebrew name Michael (meaning "Who is like God?"), it was introduced from the Holy Land by returning warriors from the various
Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...
from the twelfth century on. During the period of Christian revival at this time, the name rapidly became established as one of the most popular baptismal names, and within a generation as one of the earliest surnames. Part of this popularity was due to the conviction that the name was originally the war cry of the archangel in his defeat of Satan. A large range of spellings have developed in every Christian country of the Western Hemisphere. These spellings include Michael (England), Mitchell (Scotland), Miell Miall, Mitchel, Micheau and Michel (France), Michele and Micheli (Italy), Miguel (Portugal and Spain), Miell and Michal (Poland), Michel (Hungary); with diminutives Michelet, Michelin (France), Mische, Mish, Misisch and Miscke (Germany), Michalik and Mielnik (Poland), Michaley (Czech), Miko (Hungary); and patronymics such as Michaelson, Mikkelson, Mikhalkov, Michaeliewicz, and many more.


People

*Antonio Micallef (1867-1940) Maltese musician and composerFarrugia, A. (2021) The Story Of A Maltese Musician: A biography of Maestro Antonio Micallef 1867, * Andrew Micallef (born 1969), Maltese painter and musician * Corrado Micalef (born 1961), Canadian hockey goaltender * Ian Micallef (born 1969), Maltese politician * John Micallef (1923–2003), Maltese philosopher * Luciano Micallef (born 1954), Maltese artist *Richard Micallef (born 1989), Maltese musician, member of Firelight * Roxanne Micallef (born 1997), Maltese footballer *
Shaun Micallef Shaun Patrick Micallef (; born 18 July 1962) is an Australian comedian, actor, writer, television presenter, and formerly a lawyer. He was the host of the satirical news comedy series '' Shaun Micallef's Mad as Hell'' on the ABC. He also hoste ...
(born 1962), Australian comedian * Tarki Micallef (born 1961), Welsh footballer * Joseph R. Micallef (born 1956), Maltese judge * Robert Micallef (born 1968) Wizard


References


Further reading

* {{surname Maltese-language surnames