Gibraltarians
Gibraltarians (Spanish: gibraltareños, colloquially: llanitos) are an ethnic group native to Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea.
Origins
Some Gibraltarians are a ethnic and cultural mixture of the many immigrants who came to the Rock of Gibraltar over 300 years. Following its capture by an Anglo-Dutch force in 1704, all but 70[3] of the existing inhabitants of Gibraltar elected to leave[4] with many settling nearby. Since then, immigrants from Britain, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Morocco, Menorca, and India have settled at Gibraltar, as have Sephardic Jews from North Africa.[5]
Most Gibraltarian surnames are of Mediterranean or British extraction. The exact breakdown (including non-Gibraltarian British residents) of family names according to the electoral register according to the 1995 Census was as follows:
Rank | Origin | Proportion (%) family names[6] |
---|---|---|
1 | British | 27 |
2 | Spanish (excluding Menorcan) | 24 |
3 | Italian | 19 |
4 | Portuguese | 11 |
5 | Maltese | 8 |
6 | Jewish | 3 |
7 | Menorcan | 2 |
8 | Other | 4 |
9 | Unassigned | 2 |
Other groups include
Immigration from Spain (including refugees from the Spanish Civil War) and intermarriage with Spaniards from the surrounding Spanish towns was a constant feature of Gibraltar's history until General Francisco Franco closed the border with Gibraltar, cutting off many Gibraltarians from their relatives on the Spanish side of the border. The Spanish government reopened the land border, but other restrictions remain in place.
For the period of World War II the border was closed, although Spain was nominally neutral, as Franco's regime was effectively allied with Nazi Germany.
Genoese/Italian surnames
Research by Fiorenzo Toso in 2000 about the names of
The following are the most common Genoese surnames in Gibraltar, according to Toso's research. The number of Gibraltarian residents who have these surnames, according to Gibraltar's Yellow Pages are provided in parentheses.
- Parody (45), Baglietto (45), Danino (33), Olivero (50), Robba (32), Montegriffo (34), Chipolina (25),[10] Ferrary (35), Ramagge (24), Picardo (6), Isola (24), Canepa (12), Cavilla (14) and Bossano (15).[11]
Maltese surnames
By 1912, the total number of Maltese living in Gibraltar was not above 700. Many worked in the
Below is a list of the most common Maltese surnames in Gibraltar along with the current number of Gibraltarians who possess them.
- Azzopardi (22), Barbara (12), Borg (46), Bugeja (11), Buhagiar (14), Buttigieg (18), Zammit (37).[11]
Nationality
Gibraltarians are
2012 census
Statistics for the usually-Resident Population and Persons Present in Gibraltar.[15] A usual resident of Gibraltar, for census purposes, is anyone who, on 12 November 2012: (a) was in Gibraltar and had stayed or intended to stay in Gibraltar for a period of 12 months or more, or; (b) has a permanent Gibraltar address but is outside Gibraltar and intends to be outside Gibraltar for less than 12 months.
Rank | Nationality | Percent of total population[15] | Population |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Gibraltarian | 79.0% | 25,444 |
2 | UK and Other British | 13.2% | 4,249 |
3 | Spanish | 2.1% | 675 |
4 | Moroccan | 1.6% | 522 |
5 | Other EU | 2.4% | 785 |
6 | Other* | 1.6% | 519 |
- (*) Includes all nationalities different from Gibraltarian, UK and other British and Moroccan.
The 2012 census showed a total Usually-Resident population of 32,194. There was a small decrease in the proportion of Gibraltarians (79.0%), an increase in the ratio of "Other British" (13.2%) and a small increase in the ratio of "Other" (6.2%).[15]
Culture
Religion
The main religion of Gibraltar is Christianity with the majority of Gibraltarians belonging to the Roman Catholic Church. Other Christian denominations include the
Rank | Religion | Proportion (%) of Gibraltarians[20] |
---|---|---|
1 | Roman Catholic | 78.09% |
2 | Church of England | 6.98% |
3 | Muslim | 4.01% |
4 | Other Christian | 3.21% |
5 | None | 2.86% |
6 | Jewish | 2.12% |
7 | Hindu | 1.79% |
8 | Other or unspecified | 0.94% |
Languages
English (used in schools and for official purposes) and Spanish are the main languages of Gibraltar. Although English is the official language, Gibraltarians are typically bilingual, speaking Spanish as fluently as English. is still spoken by some families of Maltese descent.
Gibraltarians have a light, but unique, accent when speaking English; the accent is primarily influenced by Andalusian Spanish and southern British English. Many educated Gibraltarians are able to converse in Received Pronunciation.
Notable Gibraltarians
-
Paul Isola
-
Danielle Perez
See also
- List of Gibraltarians
- Gibraltarians in the United Kingdom
- History of the Genoese in Gibraltar
- Gibraltarian status
- Demographics of Gibraltar
- History of nationality in Gibraltar
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Gibraltar". The World Factbook. CIA. 11 January 2023.
- ^ "Government Publishes Bill to recognise British Sign Language as a language of Gibraltar - 274/2022". Government of Gibraltar. 19 April 2022. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
- ^ Gold, Peter (2005). Gibraltar: British or Spanish?. Routledge. p. 6.
- ISBN 1-86227-103-8.
- ISBN 978-0-415-34795-2.
- ISBN 978-0-415-34796-9.
- ISBN 0-948466-14-6.
The open frontier helped to increase the Spanish share, and naval links with Menorca produced the small Menorcan contingent.
- ISBN 978-0-415-34796-9.
- ^ Research on Genoese surnames in Gibraltar (in Italian)
- ^ History of the Chipulina family in Gibraltar
- ^ a b "Gibraltar Telephone Directory". gibyellow.gi.
- ISBN 978-9027218629.
Yanito (or Llanito) is the name popularly given to the native of Gibraltar as well as the local/vernacular they speak
- Real Academia Española. 2014.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-2497-9.
- ^ a b c "Census of Gibraltar" (PDF). Gibraltar.gov.gi. 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
- ^ "Gibraltar Methodist Church". The Methodist Church. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2007.
- ^ "National Baha'i Communities | The Baháʼí Faith". Bahai.org. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ "People". Official Government of Gibraltar London website. 2005. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 6 November 2007.
- ^ Jacobs, Joseph. "Gibraltar". JewishEncyclopedia.com. Retrieved 6 November 2007.
- ^ Census of Gibraltar 2001[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Language of Gibraltar". 16 April 2014.