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

Montañez, 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 Montañez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Montañez in America

Montañez is the 2240th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Montañez surname appeared 16,281 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Montañez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Montañez 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 Montañez

The surname Montanez originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "montaña," meaning "mountain." The name likely referred to someone who lived in or near a mountainous region, or perhaps someone who worked in the mountains as a shepherd or hunter.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Montanez can be found in the 13th-century Libro de la Montería, a hunting treatise commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile. The manuscript mentions several individuals with the surname Montanez who were involved in the royal hunt.

During the 15th century, the Montanez family was prominent in the Kingdom of Aragon, with several members holding important positions in the court of King Juan II. Notably, Pedro Montanez served as the king's chamberlain and ambassador to France in the 1460s.

In the 16th century, Álvaro Montanez was a renowned Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in 1519. He played a crucial role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire and later became one of the first Spanish settlers in the newly established colony of New Spain.

The surname Montanez also has a long history in Portugal, where it is sometimes spelled Montanhes or Montanhez. In the 17th century, Bernardo Montanhez was a prominent Portuguese architect who designed several churches and public buildings in Lisbon, including the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Encarnação.

Another notable figure was Juan Montanez, a Spanish artist who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was a skilled sculptor and woodcarver, renowned for his intricate religious sculptures and altarpieces found in churches throughout Spain.

As the Spanish and Portuguese empires expanded, the surname Montanez became more widespread, with families bearing the name settling in various parts of the Americas, including Mexico, Peru, and Brazil. Today, the name is still common in these regions, as well as in Spain and Portugal.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Montañez

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

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

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

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