I have a 16 week old Maltese puppie she seems to be constantly nipping at everyone in my family example hands and hem of there pants, we are not initiating rough play.

Since she is a puppy and is nipping I would venture a guess that she is showing a typical pack mentality. She is the newest member of the pack and feels the need to show to the family that she understands this. Does she roll on her back when you go to pet her? I am very sure that others will be along shortly to give you their feedback. I'm not sure if she will eventually grow out of some of this behaviour or not. Make sure that when she's being good to reward her for it and when she does nip I would say no and just walk away... Just like small children if you reward the bad they will do it more because of the attention. Please keep in mind that she is young and isn't going to understand right away... it may take awhile. Also make sure that the WHOLE family can do this. If it is an extreame case and she does get a bit more aggressive than you would like look into obedience classes. I also used a nip on the ear of my dog to show my dominance over her... this was years ago though and she was older and a chow so I felt the need to be a bit more aggressive with her. I hope some of this helped and as I said before I'm sure the more knowledgeable will be along in no time to give you some better advice than I can. Welcome to the forum and I hope you stick around.

Hi, Maddies,
Persistence is the key work here. Be persistent in training her not to bite.
When she does, put your fingers on her neck, or side, and firmly push her down, holding your finger up so she can see it. This will show you are the boss, or the dominant one; not her! She is doing this because she thinks she is boss, and can do anything she wants to. She is the "leader" of the family, or leader over you.
Every time she "nips" at someone, do the same thing. It will take a few weeks maybe, to let her know this is not something you will put up with.
As a new puppy owner, I highly recommend a video by Ceaser Millan, a Professional Dog Behaviorist. He rehabilitates dogs, and trains people.

He has his own TV program, the Dog Whisperer, on the NGEO (National Geographic) channel, on Friday nights mainly, but also comes on some other days. This video is available from:
Cesar Millan Center
I also ordered his new book, "Ceaser's Way", from Walmart online, around $15 US, and it's very good!

There are other good videos available on the web, but this one is really worth your attention.

Once she accepts the idea that she is NOT to bite people, she will calm down, and stop doing it. But, you have to be consistent. Also, take her for a walk for about 45 min. every day. Or, let her out in the back yard, if you have one, run with her, releasing some of her energy.
This biting is from boredom, and she is trying to get rid of energy. Once she has a good, brisk walk, her energy level will be lower. Once she is tired, she will not want to bite everyone.
I do wish you the best, and good luck.