Traditionally, the people of Marbella have been called “marbelleros” in
popular language, and “marbellenses”. Now, however, and since the mid-’50s, the
people of Marbella are also “marbellis” or “Marbella.”
The use of “Marbella” as an
adjective derives from an initiative of the writer and journalist Victor de la
Serna (1896–1958), who documented a series of articles on “The Marine
Andalusia,” based on the history of Malaga
and his province, Francisco Guillen Robles.
Robles used this word to describe the Muslim inhabitants of Marbella. This adjective
is most often used to refer to the people of Marbella by both the media and by the people
outside the city.
However, the natives of Marbella prefer the use of the word
“marbelleros” to refer to themselves, therefore maintaining the position that
when they speak of “marbelleros” refers to people born there, and when they
speak of “Marbella,” it refers to the people of Marbella in general. Marbella once also
received the humorous nickname of “buttery” by neighboring peoples.
