Montavis
Mountain dweller; one who lives in the mountains.
Name Census estimates that about 142 living Americans carry the first name Montavis. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Montavis today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Montavis births was 1997 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Montavis. 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.
People living today
142
~ 1 in 2,413,763 Americans
Peak year
1997
12 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2011 SSA rank
#13,684
Tracked since 1984
Census
Montavis in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 133 people with the first name Montavis, which placed it at #48,223 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#48,223
National first-name rank
People counted
133
133 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
100.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Montavis
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Montavis is Black at 100.0%. These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Montavis described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Montavis at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American100.0% · 133
Popularity
Montavis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Montavis from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 78 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Montavis 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 Montavis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Montavis
The name Montavis is a relatively obscure and unique name with a rich cultural heritage. Its origins can be traced back to the ancient Etruscan civilization, which flourished in what is now modern-day Italy during the 8th to 3rd centuries BCE. The name is derived from the Etruscan words "mont," meaning "mountain," and "avis," meaning "bird," suggesting a connection to the rugged, mountainous terrain of the region and perhaps a symbolic association with the freedom and grace of birds.
While there is limited historical documentation on the use of this name during the Etruscan era, it is believed to have been associated with individuals who lived in the mountainous regions or those who held a deep reverence for the natural world. The name's unique blend of elements related to both the earth and sky may have held spiritual significance for the Etruscans, who were known for their rich mythological beliefs and artistic traditions.
The earliest recorded use of the name Montavis can be found in a series of inscriptions dating back to the 5th century BCE, discovered in the ancient Etruscan city of Cerveteri. One notable figure bearing this name was Montavis Velthurna, a prominent sculptor and artisan who lived around 450 BCE and was renowned for his intricate works depicting scenes from Etruscan mythology.
During the Roman era, when the Etruscan civilization was gradually assimilated into the expanding Roman Republic, the name Montavis fell into relative obscurity. However, it experienced a brief resurgence in the 12th century CE, when a Florentine nobleman named Montavis Bencivenne di Firenze (1125-1192) gained recognition for his military exploits during the conflicts between the Italian city-states.
Another notable figure with this name was Montavis Aldovrandi (1522-1593), a renowned naturalist and philosopher from Bologna, Italy, who made significant contributions to the study of zoology and botany. His extensive research and detailed descriptions of various plant and animal species were instrumental in advancing scientific knowledge during the Renaissance period.
In more recent times, the name Montavis has remained relatively rare, though it has been sporadically used in various parts of Europe and the Americas. One notable individual was Montavis Girard (1810-1879), a French explorer and adventurer who embarked on expeditions through the Amazon rainforest, documenting the flora, fauna, and indigenous cultures he encountered along the way.
Despite its obscurity, the name Montavis carries a rich cultural heritage and a connection to nature, art, and exploration. While it may not be as widely recognized as some other names, its unique blend of Etruscan roots and symbolic associations make it a fascinating and intriguing choice for those seeking a name with a deep historical resonance.
People
Montavis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Montavis 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
Montavis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Montavis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 142 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Montavis 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 2,413,763 US residents.
Is Montavis a common name?
We classify Montavis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 145 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Montavis most popular?
The single biggest year for Montavis was 1997, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Montavis is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Montavis in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 133 people with the name Montavis, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #48,223 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Montavis in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Montavis?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Montavis appears almost entirely male. Of the 139 people counted with this name, 100.0% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Montavis?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Montavis is Black at 100.0%. These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Montavis most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Montavis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (133 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Montavis in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Montavis a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Montavis in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Montavis still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Montavis in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Montavis can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many Americans are named Montavis?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Montavis at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.