FALZON

FALZON [3,343 occurences in Malta National Census 2005] (1) Italian – nickname: apocopated form of surname Falzone/i (Falsone), augmen. form (in -one) of Falso < It. falso ‘false, deceitful, hypocritical’ [Caracausi], quite unflattering as a family name. Cp. It. Farzone, Falzetta. (2) Italian and French – nickname or occupational name: < OF faucon, falcun ‘falcon, hawk (ornith.)’ > Lat. falco (gen. falconis), either (a) a byname for a fierce, rapacious person; or (b) a metonym for a falconer (It. Falconaro). Some of the old local forms of this surnames, such as De Falcono, Fauczono and Fauczone, seem to adhere to this derivation. Aquilina [1987–90] actualy states that etymologically the surname Falzon may be a dial. phonetic var. of the It. surname Falcone. The term gave rise to the given name (and surname) Falco. It is well known that Frederick II, king of Sicily in 1198–1250, reared falcons in Malta. Cp. It. Falcone (also extant in Malta), Sp. Falcón, Fr. Faucon, Prov. Falcon, Eng. Falcon.  The variant in affricate -z- (for the usual fricative -s-) is typical of southern dialects – e.g. in Campania, Alfonzo predominates over Alfonso, whereas in Sicily Falzone and Sanzone run alongside Falsone and Sansone (q.v.) [De Felice: 1980]. Falsone is typically Sicilian; the far more numerous Falzone is the second commonest surname in Caltanissetta [C & M]. Fucilla interprests Falzon as a Bolognese surname meaning ‘scythe, sickle’, semantically related to other family names such as Falcione, Ranza, and sometimes Seghezzi. Vassalli actually derives the surname from It. top. (and surname) Falcione.  Falzon must be one of the oldest surnames recorded in Malta – e.g. a Gozitan will of 1299 refers to an African slave belonging to Phylippo Falzono of Malta [Wettinger: 2002]. Throughout its history, the Falsone family enjoyed a high-ranking position among the Mal. gentry and was one of the most important families of Late Medieval Mdina. It acquired the beneficies of Djar Chandur (1399), Ta’ Ganni (in 1431), Ta’ Ġnien is-Sultan (1471), Bir Ħanżira (1505), and Ta’ Donna Manna (1638) [Montalto, MG]. The Status Animarum (diocesan census) of 1687 shows that then 39.5% of all Falzons resided at Qormi [Fiorini: 1984]. 57% of all prsent-day Gozitan Falzons hail from Nadur [Cauchi]. At present its numbers are further augmented by double-barrelled surnames such as Falzon Fava, Falzon Vilora, and Falzon Scerri. Other old forms: Fauzono/i, Falzuni, De Falzuni, Fauzone, Falson(i), Falzun, Falsun(i), Falczun(i), Falcuni, (De) Fauczone, (De) Fauczonus, Falsono, Falsò, Falsonus, Falczono, (De)

Falzono, De Falzon(e), Falczone, (Di) Falsone – e.g. Antonio Falsone (or Fauzone) became tenant of Dyar Chandul in Malta in 1399 [Abela]; De Falcono – e.g. Antonio de Falcono was one of the jurats of Notabile in 1407 [Abela]; Fau(c)zuni – e.g. Andrea Fauzuni, at Casali Naxaru, 1419 [Militia List]; (De) Fauczono (1461); De Falczono (1487); De Falsono (1542); Falsò – e.g. Isabella Falsò, of Gudja, wife of Alexander, died in 1616 [Bir Miftuħ PA].