2000
#3,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,720
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.97
Uncommon Last name
Montague
A Norman French habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "pointed hill" or "sharp mountain."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,864 Americans carry the last name Montague. That puts it at #3,381 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 28,890 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Montague 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Montague with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 28,890
Census rank
#3,381
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,346 bearers of the surname Montague in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3381st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Montague, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.5%. The next largest groups are Black (24.5%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Montague
Among Census respondents with the surname Montague, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.5%. The next largest groups are Black (24.5%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Montague 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 Montague surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.5% · 6,781
- Black or African American24.5% · 2,535
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 456
- Two or more races4.3% · 446
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 61
Timeline
Historical Census data for Montague
Montague 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
#3,209
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,258
+538 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 3.82
Rank movement Down 109 places
2020
#3,381
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,346
-912 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 3.46
Rank movement Down 172 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,100 | 10,720 | 3.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,209 | 11,258 | 3.82 | +538 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 109 places |
| 2020 | #3,381 | 10,346 | 3.46 | -912 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 172 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 Montague 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 | #3,209 | #3,381 | -5.4% |
| Count | 11,258 | 10,346 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.82 | 3.46 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Montague bearers went from 11,258 to 10,346 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 172 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,209 to #3,381.
FAQ
Montague surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Montague?
Name Census estimates that about 11,864 living Americans carry the surname Montague. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 28,890 residents.
How common is Montague?
Montague ranks #3,381 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.46 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,346 people with the surname Montague. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,864), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.46 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Montague.
Has Montague become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Montague went from 11,258 recorded bearers to 10,346. That is a decrease of 912 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,209 to #3,381.
What does the Census say about the background of Montague?
Among Census respondents with the surname Montague, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.5%. The next largest groups are Black (24.5%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Montague in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.5% (6,781 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Montague appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.5%), Black (24.5%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Montague (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 Montague mean?
A Norman French habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "pointed hill" or "sharp mountain." 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 Montague (3.46 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 share the surname Montague?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.