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

Monica, 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 Monica surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Monica in America

Monica is the 21288th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Monica surname appeared 1,231 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 Monica.

We can also compare 2010 data for Monica 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 Monica

The surname "Monica" is believed to have originated in Italy during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin word "monachus," meaning "monk" or "solitary person." The name likely referred to someone who lived a monastic lifestyle or worked in close proximity to a monastery.

In Italy, the surname "Monica" can be traced back to the 13th century, where it appeared in various historical records and documents. One of the earliest known references is found in the Florentine Codex, a 16th-century ethnographic work that mentions a family by the name of Monica residing in the Tuscan region.

The name "Monica" was also mentioned in several medieval manuscripts, including the "Liber Monialium," a 14th-century registry of nuns from the Benedictine monastery in Perugia. This document lists several women with the surname "Monica," indicating that the name was prevalent in religious communities at the time.

One notable historical figure bearing the surname "Monica" was Giovanni Monica (1420-1488), a renowned Italian architect and sculptor from Florence. He is best known for his work on the Basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore, where he designed the intricate marble inlay patterns on the church's floors.

Another prominent individual was Ercole Monica (1550-1624), an Italian mathematician and astronomer from Bologna. He made significant contributions to the study of comets and published several treatises on celestial observations.

In the 16th century, the surname "Monica" was also found in various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Umbria, and Emilia-Romagna. It is believed that the name may have originated from place names or topographical features, such as the town of Moniga del Garda in the province of Brescia, or the Moniga hill in the Abruzzo region.

Other notable figures with the surname "Monica" include Gian Battista Monica (1620-1687), an Italian painter and architect from Modena, and Domenico Monica (1777-1856), an Italian composer and music theorist from Naples.

While the surname "Monica" has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage. However, historical records and references to the name are predominantly found in Italian sources from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Monica

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

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

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

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