2000
#9,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,260
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Montalbano
Derived from a place name in Italy, likely referring to someone from the town of Montalbano.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,463 Americans carry the last name Montalbano. That puts it at #10,166 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,976 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Montalbano 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
3.5K
1 in 98,976
Census rank
#10,166
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,020 bearers of the surname Montalbano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10166th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Montalbano, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Montalbano
The surname Montalbano originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is a toponymic surname derived from the Italian place name "Montalbano," which itself is derived from the Latin words "mons" meaning "mountain" and "albus" meaning "white." This suggests that the name is associated with a location near a prominent white mountain or hill.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Montalbano can be found in a document from the 13th century, where a certain Guglielmo Montalbano is mentioned as a landowner in the region of Tuscany. This suggests that the surname was already established in central Italy by this time.
In the 14th century, records show a Matteo Montalbano who was a prominent merchant and banker in the city of Florence. He was involved in financing various artistic and architectural projects during the Renaissance period.
During the 15th century, a family bearing the Montalbano surname held significant influence and power in the Kingdom of Naples. One notable member was Gian Tommaso Montalbano (1450-1523), a renowned military commander who served under several kings of Naples.
In the 16th century, the name appears in records from the Papal States, where a Girolamo Montalbano (1507-1572) was a respected theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious topics.
Another notable figure was the 17th-century philosopher and scientist Tommaso Campanella (1568-1639), whose full name was Tommaso Campanella Montalbano. He was a Dominican friar known for his utopian writings and his advocacy of experimental scientific methods.
Throughout history, the Montalbano surname has been associated with various place names in Italy, such as Montalbano Elicona in Sicily, Montalbano Jonico in Basilicata, and Montalbano di Zocco in Emilia-Romagna, among others. These locations likely served as the original sources from which the surname spread to different parts of the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Montalbano
Among Census respondents with the surname Montalbano, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Montalbano 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 Montalbano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 2,716
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 181
- Two or more races2.8% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 23
- Black or African American0.5% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Montalbano
Montalbano 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
#9,949
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,245
-15 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 749 places
2020
#10,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,020
-225 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 217 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,200 | 3,260 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,949 | 3,245 | 1.10 | -15 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 749 places |
| 2020 | #10,166 | 3,020 | 1.01 | -225 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 217 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 Montalbano 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 | #9,949 | #10,166 | -2.2% |
| Count | 3,245 | 3,020 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 1.01 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Montalbano bearers went from 3,245 to 3,020 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 217 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,949 to #10,166.
FAQ
Montalbano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Montalbano?
Name Census estimates that about 3,463 living Americans carry the surname Montalbano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,976 residents.
How common is Montalbano?
Montalbano ranks #10,166 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,020 people with the surname Montalbano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,463), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Montalbano.
Has Montalbano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Montalbano went from 3,245 recorded bearers to 3,020. That is a decrease of 225 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,949 to #10,166.
What does the Census say about the background of Montalbano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Montalbano, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Montalbano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (2,716 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Montalbano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (6.0%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Montalbano (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 Montalbano mean?
Derived from a place name in Italy, likely referring to someone from the town of Montalbano. 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 Montalbano (1.01 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 common is the surname Montalbano?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Montalbano on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.