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

Monaco, 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 Monaco surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Monaco in America

Monaco is the 4331st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Monaco surname appeared 8,198 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Monaco.

We can also compare 2010 data for Monaco 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 Monaco

The surname Monaco has its origins in Italy, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the place name Monaco, which is a city-state located on the French Riviera. The name is believed to have come from the Greek word "monachos," meaning "single" or "alone," referring to the city-state's isolated location on a rocky promontory.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Monaco can be found in the Codice Diplomatico della Repubblica di Genova, a collection of diplomatic documents from the Republic of Genoa, which mentions a certain Guglielmo Monaco in 1198. Another early reference is in the Registri della Catena, a series of notarial records from Savona, Italy, which lists a Nicolo Monaco in 1242.

The name Monaco has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest was Benedetto Monaco (c. 1390-1470), an Italian painter and architect from Treviso, known for his work on the Basilica of San Marco in Venice. Another prominent bearer of the name was Antonio Monaco (1767-1833), an Italian poet and playwright from Naples.

In the 19th century, Luigi Monaco (1832-1909) was an Italian sculptor and painter from Genoa, known for his works in marble and bronze. Carlo Monaco (1869-1924) was an Italian anarchist and labor activist, influential in the early 20th century.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Monaco was Grace Kelly (1929-1982), the American actress who married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, in 1956, becoming Princess Grace of Monaco. Her son, Albert II (born 1958), is the current reigning Prince of Monaco.

While the surname Monaco originated in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly in areas with significant Italian diaspora populations. However, its roots can be traced back to the small principality of Monaco on the Mediterranean coast, a place that has left an indelible mark on the history and cultural significance of this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Monaco

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

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!