2000
#7,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,334
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.61
Rare Last name
Monreal
Habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "royal mountain" in Spanish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,180 Americans carry the last name Monreal. That puts it at #6,102 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Monreal 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.
Bearers in the US
6.2K
1 in 55,462
Census rank
#6,102
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,389 bearers of the surname Monreal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6102nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Monreal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.9%. The next largest groups are White (9.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Monreal
The surname MONREAL is of Spanish origin, with its roots tracing back to the medieval period. The name is derived from the Spanish words "monte" meaning mountain and "real" meaning royal or kingly. It is believed to have originated in the Basque region of northern Spain, where many place names contain the word "monte" to denote their mountainous geography.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MONREAL surname can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval census document compiled in the 14th century during the reign of King Pedro I of Castile. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
In the 15th century, a notable figure with the surname MONREAL was Pedro Monreal, a Spanish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Reconquista against the Moors. He was born around 1420 and played a significant role in the capture of Granada, the last Moorish stronghold on the Iberian Peninsula, in 1492.
Another prominent individual bearing the MONREAL surname was Juan Monreal, a Spanish architect and sculptor who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is best known for his work on the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most remarkable architectural achievements of the Spanish Renaissance.
In the 18th century, a man named Francisco Monreal y Cia gained recognition as a successful merchant and entrepreneur in colonial Mexico. He established a thriving trade network, exporting goods such as silver, cochineal, and textiles from New Spain to Europe and beyond.
The MONREAL surname has also been associated with several notable writers and intellectuals over the centuries. One such figure was José Monreal, a Spanish philosopher and essayist who lived from 1875 to 1942. He was known for his works on ethics, aesthetics, and the philosophy of language.
While the origins of the MONREAL surname can be traced back to medieval Spain, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and diaspora. Today, individuals with this surname can be found not only in Spain but also in Latin American countries, as well as in communities with Spanish heritage across Europe and North America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Monreal
Among Census respondents with the surname Monreal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.9%. The next largest groups are White (9.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Monreal 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 Monreal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.9% · 4,735
- White9.1% · 492
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 96
- Two or more races0.5% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 24
- Black or African American0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Monreal
Monreal 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
#6,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,698
+1,364 bearers (+31.5%)
Per 100,000 1.93
Rank movement Up 1,077 places
2020
#6,102
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,389
-309 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 1.80
Rank movement Down 71 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,108 | 4,334 | 1.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,031 | 5,698 | 1.93 | +1,364 bearers (+31.5%) | Up 1,077 places |
| 2020 | #6,102 | 5,389 | 1.80 | -309 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 71 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 Monreal 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 | #6,031 | #6,102 | -1.2% |
| Count | 5,698 | 5,389 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.93 | 1.80 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Monreal bearers went from 5,698 to 5,389 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 71 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,031 to #6,102.
FAQ
Monreal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Monreal?
Name Census estimates that about 6,180 living Americans carry the surname Monreal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,462 residents.
How common is Monreal?
Monreal ranks #6,102 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,389 people with the surname Monreal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,180), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Monreal.
Has Monreal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Monreal went from 5,698 recorded bearers to 5,389. That is a decrease of 309 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,031 to #6,102.
What does the Census say about the background of Monreal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Monreal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.9%. The next largest groups are White (9.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Monreal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (4,735 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Monreal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.9%), White (9.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Monreal (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 Monreal mean?
Habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "royal mountain" in Spanish. 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 Monreal (1.80 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 people have the surname Monreal?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.