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.