How Malta, New York Got Its Name: Named for the Mediterranean Island

Malta, New York (Saratoga County) was named directly after the Republic of Malta in the Mediterranean.

Timeline

• 1770s: First European settlers arrive (mostly from New England).
• 1802: Town officially organized from part of Stillwater.
• Naming: Settlers chose "Malta" — likely inspired by the Knights of Malta (Knights Hospitaller) or the island's strategic fame during the Napoleonic Wars (British base 1800).

Why Malta?

• Classical/Mediterranean names were fashionable in early Federal period (cf. Rome, Syracuse, Troy, Athens, Corinth across NY).
• No evidence of Maltese immigrants founding it—purely aspirational naming.

Modern Malta, NY

• Population ~17,000 (2020); suburb of Saratoga Springs / Albany.
• Home to GlobalFoundries (Fab 8) — major semiconductor plant.
• Malta Drive-In (1949) — one of few remaining in Northeast.

A tiny upstate town carrying the name of a historic island fortress.