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

Monks, 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 Monks surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Monks in America

Monks is the 12303rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Monks surname appeared 2,527 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Monks.

We can also compare 2010 data for Monks 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 Monks

The surname MONKS is of English origin and derives from the occupational name 'monk', referring to a man who was part of a religious order or monastery. It emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 12th century, when surnames began to be adopted in Britain.

The name likely originated in areas where monasteries were prominent, such as Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and the West Country. It may have been given initially as a nickname to someone who lived near a monastery or had some association with monastic life.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mention a William Monks. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also include references to individuals with the surname Monks or Monck in counties like Norfolk and Oxfordshire.

In the 13th century, the name was sometimes spelled as 'Munk' or 'Munck', reflecting the Old English word 'munuc' from which the modern English word 'monk' is derived. Variations like 'Monke' and 'Monkes' were also common in medieval records.

Notable historical figures with the surname MONKS include John Monks (c.1610-1661), an English Puritan minister and author who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony. William Monks (1765-1828) was a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.

George Monks (1765-1826) was a prominent English architect responsible for designing several churches and other buildings in Yorkshire. Thomas Monks (1805-1883) was a British railway engineer and contractor involved in the construction of railways across the country.

One of the most famous bearers of the name was Thelonious Monk (1917-1982), an American jazz pianist and composer widely regarded as one of the pioneers of bebop and a highly influential figure in the history of jazz music.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Monks

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

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

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

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