Find out how popular the last name Montgomery is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Montgomery.

Montgomery, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Montgomery surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Montgomery in America

Montgomery is the 151532nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Montgomery surname appeared 108 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Montgomery.

We can also compare 2010 data for Montgomery to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Montgomery

The surname MCGOMERY is of Scottish origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "gommair" meaning "a protector" or "a guardian." The name was originally found in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the areas around Argyll and Perthshire.

The earliest recorded instance of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The entry "Duncanus McGomery" is believed to refer to a landowner from the Highlands.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various manuscripts and records related to the Scottish Wars of Independence. One notable example is Sir John MCGOMERY, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

During the 16th century, the MCGOMERY name was associated with the Scottish clan of the same name, which held lands in Argyllshire. The clan's seat was at the castle of Ardgour, and they were known for their involvement in various feuds and conflicts with neighboring clans.

In the 17th century, the name MCGOMERY gained prominence in Ulster, Ireland, due to the Plantation of Ulster, where Scottish settlers were granted lands. One notable figure from this period was Sir Hugh MCGOMERY (1560-1636), a Scottish soldier and landowner who received extensive lands in County Down, Ireland.

Another famous bearer of the name was Alexander MCGOMERY (1720-1776), an Irish-born military officer who served in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was killed in action at the Battle of Quebec in 1776.

In the 19th century, the name MCGOMERY was found among Scottish emigrants who settled in various parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand. One notable figure from this period was John MCGOMERY (1825-1901), a Scottish-born Australian politician and educator who served as the Premier of Western Australia.

Throughout history, the surname MCGOMERY has undergone various spellings, including McGomrie, McGomery, and McGumrie, reflecting regional variations and phonetic adaptations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Montgomery

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Montgomery.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Montgomery was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Montgomery has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Montgomery was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Montgomery, please contact us.

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