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

Montague, 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 Montague surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Montague in America

Montague is the 3209th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Montague surname appeared 11,258 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Montague.

We can also compare 2010 data for Montague 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 Montague

The surname Montague is of French origin, derived from the Old French words "mont" meaning "mountain" and "agu" meaning "pointed". This indicates that the name likely originated from a person who lived near a pointed mountain or hill.

The name first appeared in England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is believed to have been introduced by Norman nobles who accompanied William the Conqueror and settled in various parts of the country. The earliest recorded instance of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Montaigu".

During the Middle Ages, the Montagues were a prominent family in England, with several notable members. One of the earliest was Simon de Montagu, who was born around 1150 and served as a trusted adviser to King John and King Henry III. Another was William Montague, born in 1330, who was appointed the Earl of Salisbury by King Edward III for his military service.

The name also gained literary fame in William Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet", where the Montagues were one of the two feuding families in the city of Verona, Italy. Although the play was fictional, it brought the name into the public consciousness and contributed to its widespread recognition.

In the 17th century, Edward Montagu (1625-1672) played a significant role in the restoration of the English monarchy, serving as a prominent naval commander and later becoming the Earl of Sandwich. His cousin, Ralph Montagu (1638-1709), was a lawyer and politician who served as the Chief Justice of the King's Bench.

Other notable individuals with the surname Montague include Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762), an English writer and traveler known for her literary works and advocacy for smallpox inoculation, and George Montagu (1753-1815), an English naturalist and ornithologist who made significant contributions to the study of birds.

The Montague surname has endured through the centuries, with variations in spelling such as Montagu, Montaigu, and Montacute. It continues to be found in many parts of the world, a testament to the widespread influence of the Norman settlers who first brought the name to England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Montague

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

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

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

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