Schembri
Schembri (/ˈʃkɛmbri/ ; [shkem-bree]) is an Italian/Maltese surname. Notable people with the surname include:
- Andre Schembri (born 1986), footballer who plays for AC Omonia in Cypriot First Division.
- Andrew / Indri Schembri (1774–1862), a Jesuit who wrote the popular Christmas Carol 'Ninni La Tibkix Izjed '
- Antonio Schembri ornithologist
- Emanuel Schembri, professional weightlifter and Maltese record holder in the 105 kg+ category
- Eric Schembri, ex-professional footballer for Gzira United and Malta
- Fabrizio Schembri, Italian professional long and triple jump athlete
- Karl Schembri (born 1978), Maltese writer and journalist
- Keith Schembri, chief of staff to the Prime Minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat
- Mark Schembri, Maltese single and doubles tennis player
- Nino Schembri, professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter
- Salvinu Schembri, ex-professional footballer for Sliema Wanderers and Malta
- Carmelo Schembri, former Chief Justice of Malta
- Charles Schembri, noted contractor in San Francisco, CA
Derivation
There are different ideas to how this surname derived and possibly derives from the word Sicambri,a Thracian tribe that Strabo identified as the Treres of Thrace. Those were the ancient pre-German inhabitants of the banks of the Sieg River. Their Greek names such as Priam,Antenor or even Merovios makes this hypothesis plausible as are the names of their ancient cities in the Rhine valley such as Troy,Cologne [colonus etc],and Trier[Trere?].
The Frankish Merovingian Kings all claimed to have originated from the Sicambi of the Rhine near Siegburg. Like traditional Thracians, the Sicambri made wine in the Rhine-Westphalian region till the 4th AD when they are said to have become Frankish-Salians. During the Middle Ages as Schembri and as Knights they were producers of wine for the Emperor and the Bishops of the area. The Knights von Schembri are noted in circa 1355 when a whole family are sent to Sicily by the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire to help develop the cultivation of the vine in Melita ie Malta. There are also theories that it derives from the Maltese 'Xkembri', which is a type of lemon. In Malta and Italy/Sicily the surnames Schembri, Xkembri, Scembri and Schembari are simply variations of the same name with identical origin. Originally, the Schembri family where documented from Sicily and Southern Italy before moving to Malta in the 9th century where today the surname is prominent. However, it is possible that there were Schembris in Malta before this.