Monserrat
A feminine Spanish name meaning "mountain range" or "jagged mountain".
Name Census estimates that about 7,843 living Americans carry the first name Monserrat. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Monserrat today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Monserrat births was 2014 (498 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Monserrat. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Monserrat is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 17 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
7.8K
~ 1 in 43,702 Americans
Peak year
2014
498 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2004 SSA rank
#1,300
Tracked since 1980
Gender
Gender distribution for Monserrat
Out of the 7,946 babies given the name Monserrat since 1880, 99.7% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Monserrat as a male name
- Ranked #12,595 in 2004
- 5 male births in 2004
- Peak: 2000 (8 births)
Monserrat as a female name
- Ranked #1,300 in 2024
- 177 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2014 (498 births)
Popularity
Monserrat: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Monserrat from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 3,687 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Monserrat by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Monserrat during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Monserrats live
The SSA's state-level files cover 29 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Monserrat, while Utah, Ohio, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 232 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Monserrat
The name Monserrat has its origins in the Catalan language, spoken in parts of eastern Spain and the Balearic Islands. It derives from the name of the Monastery of Montserrat, a Benedictine abbey located in Catalonia, Spain, near Barcelona.
The name Montserrat comes from the Latin "Mons Serratus," meaning "serrated mountain." This refers to the unique, jagged rock formations found in the mountain range where the monastery is situated. The monastery, founded in the 11th century, became a popular pilgrimage site and played a significant role in the history and culture of the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Monserrat dates back to the 13th century, when it was used to refer to a woman named Monserrat de Castellbell, who lived in the area near the monastery. Over time, the name gained popularity and spread beyond the Catalan region.
In the 16th century, Monserrat Isern was a notable Catalan painter and engraver. She was born in Barcelona in 1570 and is recognized for her contributions to the artistic traditions of the region.
Another notable figure with the name Monserrat was the 17th-century Spanish Catholic nun and mystic, Monserrat del Rosario. Born in Madrid in 1627, she was known for her religious devotion and her writings on spiritual matters.
In the 18th century, Monserrat Navarro was a Spanish painter from Valencia, active in the late 1700s. She was recognized for her religious paintings and works depicting scenes from everyday life.
During the 19th century, Monserrat Fontcuberta was a prominent Catalan architect and urban planner. He was born in Barcelona in 1836 and was responsible for designing several notable buildings and contributing to the city's urban development.
As the name Monserrat gained popularity in the Spanish-speaking world, it also made its way to other parts of Europe and the Americas. While the exact origins of the name can be traced back to the Catalan region and the Monastery of Montserrat, it has since taken on a broader cultural significance and continues to be used across various communities.
People
Monserrat + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Monserrat as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Monserrat: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Monserrat?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7,843 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Monserrat going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 43,702 US residents.
Is Monserrat a common name?
We classify Monserrat as "Rare". It ranks above 97.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7,946 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Monserrat most popular?
The single biggest year for Monserrat was 2014, when 498 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Monserrat is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Monserrat a female name?
Yes, 99.7% of people registered as Monserrat in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.