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

Monroy, 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 Monroy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Monroy in America

Monroy is the 2456th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Monroy surname appeared 14,673 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Monroy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Monroy 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 Monroy

The surname Monroy originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish words "monte" meaning mountain and "rey" meaning king, indicating that the name may have referred to someone who lived near or owned a mountainous area ruled by a king.

Monroy can be traced back to the medieval Kingdom of Castile, where it was first recorded in the 12th century. Early spellings of the name included Monterrey and Monterrey, which suggest a connection to the town of Monterrey in the province of Salamanca.

One of the earliest documented references to the Monroy name is found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a 14th-century manuscript that recorded details of landholdings and nobility in Castile. This record mentions several individuals with the surname Monroy, indicating their presence in the region at that time.

In the 15th century, the Monroy family played a prominent role in the Spanish conquest of the Canary Islands. Juan Monroy (c. 1410-1480) was a distinguished military leader who participated in the conquest and later served as the first governor of Gran Canaria.

Another notable figure with the Monroy surname was Pedro Monroy (c. 1460-1523), a Spanish explorer and conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico. He was among the first Spaniards to set foot in what is now Mexico City.

The Monroy name also appeared in the New World during the Spanish colonization of the Americas. One example is Cristóbal de Monroy (c. 1540-1615), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Chile and later founded the city of San Luis Potosí in present-day Mexico.

In the 17th century, Alonso Monroy (1610-1672) was a Spanish playwright and poet known for his works in the Golden Age of Spanish literature. His plays were performed in the royal court and contributed to the development of Spanish theater.

Throughout history, the Monroy surname has been associated with influential individuals in various fields, including military, exploration, literature, and governance, particularly in Spain and its former colonies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Monroy

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

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

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

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