Gauci

Gauci is a surname found mainly in Malta. According to the Dictionary of American Family Names,^[1] it originated in Italy, flourished in Malta and from Malta spread to the UK, US, Canada and Australia with the Maltese diaspora; this would be due to the immigration (and also exile) of large numbers of people from Italy to Malta, although the name still appears in Italy. However, according to Professor Joseph Aquilina, Malta's foremost specialist in Maltese etymology and author of the encyclopaedic Maltese–English Dictionary, the surname is a Maltese original formation, originating in the medieval notarial transcription of the word "Għawdxi", meaning Gozitan or from the island of Gozo. As such, "Għawdxi" is a nickname frequently given to Gozitans living or working in Malta. This origin would classify Italian holders of the surname as descendants of Maltese immigrants, rather than vice versa.

Approximately 0.0001% of the US population has this surname.^[2]

Notable people

• Darren Gauci (born 1965), Australian jockey
• Kylie Gauci, Australian wheelchair basketball player
• Maxim Gauci (1774–1854), English lithographer
• Miriam Gauci (born 1957), Maltese opera singer
• Natalie Gauci (born 1981), singer in Australia of mixed Maltese and Italian descent
• Paul Gauci (fl. 1830s-1860s), Maltese-English lithographer
• Reuben Gauci (born 1983), Maltese footballer
• Tony Gauci, Maltese shopkeeper and witness for the prosecution in the Lockerbie case

References

This page or section lists people with the surname Gauci. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.