Etymology

The origin of the name Malta is uncertain. The modern-day variation is derived from the Maltese language. The most common etymology is that Malta is derived from the Greek word μέλι, meli, "honey". The ancient Greeks called the island Μελίτη (Melitē) meaning "honey-sweet", possibly for Malta's unique production of honey by an endemic subspecies of bees. The Romans called the island Melita, which can be considered either a Latinisation of the Greek or an adaptation of the Doric Greek pronunciation. In 1525 William Tyndale used the transliteration "Melite" in his translation of The New Testament that relied on Greek texts instead of Latin. "Melita" is the spelling used in the Authorized (King James) Version of 1611 and the American Standard Version of 1901. "Malta" is widely used in more recent versions.

Another conjecture suggests that the word Malta comes from the Phoenician word Maleth, "a haven", or 'port' in reference to Malta's many bays and coves. Few other etymological mentions appear in classical literature, with the term Malta appearing in its present form in the Antonine Itinerary.