BUTTIGIEG

In forms such as Bu(t)igeg, Buttigegem, Butigec, and Butugegi, we find this surname listed on the Militia Roster of 1419.

A surname of Siculo-Arabic occupational name (A)bû l-dadjadj(i) referring to a successful breeder of poultry. It is made up of the Arabic elements abû, meaning "father, master, holder, possessor" and dadjadj, which means "chickens, fowls".

Casks in heraldry can represent a merchant, however, the charges more likely denote a ‘composite cant’ since the Latin word for a barrel is buttis and the Maltese word for a chicken being tiġieġ.