One of the top question on the board!

And there are a lot of theories.

1: Sicilian Daughter gets raped by a Frenchman...bystander shouts "Morte Alle France, Italia Anela"....not very logical but it's a theory.

2: Sicilian daughter gets shot....mother shouts "Ma Fia" which means my daughter...

3:From the Arabic word "Ma afir"....a name for a Arabic Tribe...which also was against the government

4: Opera named " Il mafiusi di vicaria"...about people in a prison who also maked clans/familys and who had their own rules and initiations.

5: Arabic word "Magtaa" which means cave....and the members of the Ma Afir had there HQ in a cave....(totally not logical!)

Personally I'll go for numer 4!