Luca and Mia among the most popular names from 3,978 newborns
2022 was once again a busy year for the Malta Public Registry, within Identity Malta Agency. This office provides important services that relate to the lives of Maltese citizens, from the registration of births and deaths to the publication of marriage banns and the issue of copies of acts of civil status.
During the past year, 3,978 newborns were registered with the Malta Public Registry, 2,016 (50.7%) of whom were boys while 1,962 (49.3%) were girls. This reflects a decrease of 186 newborns registered (4.7%) in 2022 when compared to the previous year.
The four most popular names registered for boys were Luca, Liam, Noah and Matteo while Mia, Emma, Nina and Giulia were the four most popular names among girls. The most popular Maltese names were Ġanni and Luċija. In total, there were 13 girls and 22 boys who were given a Maltese name with the use of Maltese diacritics. This was possible after the legal amendments pertaining to the use of Maltese fonts came into effect in 2021.
The service provided by Identity Malta Agency's office at Mater Dei hospital is still widely popular due to its convenience. During 2022, 90% notified their newborns at the Agency's office situated in Mater Dei (totalling 3,592 babies) while 60.6% (2,314 deaths) registered a deceased person at the same office. Registrations of births and deaths can be alternatively done by post or online. A total of 148 births and deaths were registered online in 2022, while only 9 deaths were registered through the postal service.
Marriage registrations during 2022 amounted to 2,237, resulting in an increase of 240 couples when compared to 2021. There were also 31 cohabitations registered, therefore 26 registrations less than the previous year, while only a single registration was made for a civil union.
An application for the acquisition of a birth, death, marriage, or civil status certificate can be facilitated through the online portal service offered by the Malta Public Registry. During the year 2022, a total of 69,042 certificates of births, marriages and deaths were issued, resulting in an increase of 654 certificates issued in 2021, of which 40,960 certificates were bought online and the remaining 28,082 were purchased in person. During the same period, 40 cohabitation certificates and 693 Free Status certificates were also issued.
Identity Malta Agency CEO, Colonel Mark Mallia emphasised that over the past year, the Agency has rolled out new services and yet again it has reported a surge in online activity. Identity Malta remains committed to offering new online services without compromising on security. Mallia concluded that “despite this surge in online activity, community services, such as those offered at Mater Dei office, still remain highly popular."
