The names of the Order

Since its foundation, many different names have been used for the Order and its members.

This is partly because of the very long time the Order has existed, and partly because the knights were often forced to leave countries in which they had played a leading role.

The official name of the Order today is the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta.

For legal, diplomatic and communication purposes shorter forms are often used: the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the Sovereign Order of Malta or the Order of Malta.

At first the knights were called the Knights Hospitaller (or simply the Hospitallers), which describes their mission. They were also called the Knights of St. John (of Jerusalem), after the Order's patron, St. John the Baptist, and after Jerusalem, because of their presence in the Holy Land.

After the conquest of Rhodes in 1310 they became the Knights of Rhodes. In 1530 Emperor Charles V granted Malta to the knights, and since then the members of the Order have generally been known as the Knights of Malta.

To protect this heritage, the Order of Malta has registered its names and emblems in many countries.