Mona last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Mona

A surname indicating the bearer was from the town of Mona in Wales.

Mona, 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 Mona surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mona in America

Mona is the 33856th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mona surname appeared 672 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 Mona.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mona 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 33856 27970 19.04%
Count 672 807 -18.26%
Proportion per 100k 0.23 0.30 -26.42%

The history of the last name Mona

The surname Mona has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the region of Punjab. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "mona," which means "silent" or "quiet."

In the early days, the surname Mona was predominantly found among Hindu communities in Punjab. It is thought to have been initially adopted as a descriptive name, possibly referring to individuals who possessed a quiet or introspective demeanor. Over time, the name became more widely used and spread to other parts of the region.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mona can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century Persian language document commissioned by the Mughal emperor Akbar. This text contains references to individuals with the surname Mona, indicating its presence during the Mughal era.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Mona appeared in various historical records and manuscripts from the Punjab region. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Mona Singh, a 17th-century Punjabi poet and writer, and Mona Mishra, a prominent figure in the 18th-century Sikh military order known as the Akali Nihangs.

As the Punjabi community expanded and migrated to other parts of the world, the surname Mona traveled with them. In the 19th century, individuals with the surname Mona can be found in historical records from British India and other parts of the subcontinent.

One notable figure with the surname Mona was Mona Ahmed Khan, a 19th-century Indian educator and social reformer from Punjab. Born in 1844, she played a significant role in advocating for women's education and promoting social progress in the region.

Another prominent individual with the surname Mona was Mona Singh Lal, a 20th-century Indian politician and advocate for women's rights. Born in 1912, she served as a member of the Indian Parliament and worked tirelessly to empower women and promote gender equality.

In the modern era, the surname Mona has spread across various parts of the world, with individuals of Punjabi descent carrying this name in countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. However, it is important to note that the surname's historical roots can be traced back to the Indian subcontinent and its rich cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mona

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

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 Mona was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 65.03% 437
Non-Hispanic Black Only 3.72% 25
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 10.27% 69
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 19.05% 128

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 Mona has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 65.03% 55.64% 15.56%
Black 3.72% 2.48% 40.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander 10.27% 23.67% -78.96%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% 6.07% (S)%
Hispanic 19.05% 12.14% 44.31%

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 Mona was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Mona last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on January 18, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/mona-surname-popularity/.

"Mona last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/mona-surname-popularity/. Accessed 18 January, 2025

Mona last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/mona-surname-popularity/.

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