2000
#13,075
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,147
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Monger
An occupational surname referring to a dealer or trader, often in a specific commodity.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,551 Americans carry the last name Monger. That puts it at #9,952 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,523 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Monger surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Monger with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 96,523
Census rank
#9,952
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,097 bearers of the surname Monger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9952nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Monger, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (32.9%) and Black (17.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Monger
The surname MONGER has its origins in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the late 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English word 'mangere', meaning a trader or merchant. This evolved into the Middle English word 'monger', which was used as a suffix added to various trade names, such as fish-monger, iron-monger, or cheese-monger.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname MONGER can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a William le Monger is listed in Oxfordshire. The name also appears in the Norfolk Feet of Fines in 1310, with a reference to a John le Monger.
In the 14th century, the surname MONGER was particularly prevalent in areas such as Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex, where trade and commerce were thriving. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1327 record several individuals with the surname, including Robert le Monger and Walter le Monger in Norfolk.
The surname MONGER can also be found in historical records such as the Descriptive Catalogue of Ancient Deeds, which mentions a John Monger in 1337. In the 15th century, the name appears in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence from the Paston family in Norfolk.
Notable individuals with the surname MONGER throughout history include:
1. John Monger (c. 1470 - c. 1550), an English merchant and politician who served as Sheriff of London in 1521.
2. William Monger (c. 1540 - c. 1610), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Sudbury in the late 16th century.
3. Thomas Monger (1589 - 1663), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Thetford in the 17th century.
4. John Monger (1625 - 1688), an English mathematician and astronomer who contributed to the development of logarithms and the study of celestial mechanics.
5. Mary Monger (1678 - 1749), an English religious writer and Quaker minister who published several works on spiritual matters in the early 18th century.
The surname MONGER has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Monger's Green in Suffolk and Monger's Hill in Kent, reflecting the historical presence of individuals with this surname in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Monger
Among Census respondents with the surname Monger, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (32.9%) and Black (17.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Monger bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Monger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White45.1% · 1,396
- Asian and Pacific Islander32.9% · 1,020
- Black or African American17.3% · 536
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 68
- Two or more races1.9% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Monger
Monger appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,842
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,397
+250 bearers (+11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 233 places
2020
#9,952
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,097
+700 bearers (+29.2%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 2,890 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,075 | 2,147 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,842 | 2,397 | 0.81 | +250 bearers (+11.6%) | Up 233 places |
| 2020 | #9,952 | 3,097 | 1.04 | +700 bearers (+29.2%) | Up 2,890 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Monger surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,842 | #9,952 | 22.5% |
| Count | 2,397 | 3,097 | 29.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 1.04 | 27.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Monger bearers went from 2,397 to 3,097 (+29.2% change). The surname moved up 2,890 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,842 to #9,952.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Monger
FAQ
Monger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Monger?
Name Census estimates that about 3,551 living Americans carry the surname Monger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,523 residents.
How common is Monger?
Monger ranks #9,952 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,097 people with the surname Monger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,551), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Monger.
Has Monger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Monger went from 2,397 recorded bearers to 3,097. That is an increase of 700 (+29.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,842 to #9,952.
What does the Census say about the background of Monger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Monger, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (32.9%) and Black (17.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Monger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.1% (1,396 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Monger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (45.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (32.9%), Black (17.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Monger (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Monger mean?
An occupational surname referring to a dealer or trader, often in a specific commodity. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Monger (1.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Monger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.