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Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources
☙

Malatesta m. Latin malus 'bad, evil, wicked; ugly; unlucky' + Italian testa 'head'.

The family name of the ruling house of Rimini from the late 13th to early 16th C.

Italy
Latin
● 1366 Malatesta (abl) Livi 92, Malateste (gen) ibid. 92
Cite as: S.L. Uckelman. "Malatesta". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2020, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2020/1/name/Malatesta.