2000
#2,656
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,482
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.63
Uncommon Last name
Montanez
A Spanish surname indicating a person from or associated with a mountainous region or mountain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,365 Americans carry the last name Montanez. That puts it at #2,214 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,663 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Montanez 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
18K
1 in 18,663
Census rank
#2,214
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,015 bearers of the surname Montanez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2214th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Montanez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Black (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Montanez
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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Montanez
Among Census respondents with the surname Montanez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Black (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Montanez 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 Montanez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.9% · 14,723
- White5.5% · 883
- Black or African American1.1% · 174
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 132
- Two or more races0.4% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 44
Timeline
Historical Census data for Montanez
Montanez 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
#2,240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,281
+3,799 bearers (+30.4%)
Per 100,000 5.52
Rank movement Up 416 places
2020
#2,214
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,015
-266 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 5.36
Rank movement Up 26 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,656 | 12,482 | 4.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,240 | 16,281 | 5.52 | +3,799 bearers (+30.4%) | Up 416 places |
| 2020 | #2,214 | 16,015 | 5.36 | -266 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 26 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 Montanez 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 | #2,240 | #2,214 | 1.2% |
| Count | 16,281 | 16,015 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 5.52 | 5.36 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Montanez bearers went from 16,281 to 16,015 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 26 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,240 to #2,214.
FAQ
Montanez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Montanez?
Name Census estimates that about 18,365 living Americans carry the surname Montanez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,663 residents.
How common is Montanez?
Montanez ranks #2,214 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,015 people with the surname Montanez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,365), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Montanez.
Has Montanez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Montanez went from 16,281 recorded bearers to 16,015. That is a decrease of 266 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,240 to #2,214.
What does the Census say about the background of Montanez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Montanez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Black (1.1%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Montanez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (14,723 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Montanez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.9%), White (5.5%), Black (1.1%). 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 Montanez (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 Montanez mean?
A Spanish surname indicating a person from or associated with a mountainous region or 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 Montanez (5.36 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 Montanez?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.