2000
#1,562
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.83
Uncommon Last name
Montano
Derived from the Italian word "montano," meaning "of the mountain," referring to someone who lived in a mountainous area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 30,494 Americans carry the last name Montano. That puts it at #1,295 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,240 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Montano 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 Montano with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
30K
1 in 11,240
Census rank
#1,295
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
27K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 26,592 bearers of the surname Montano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1295th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Montano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.6%. The next largest groups are White (10.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Montano
The surname Montano has its origins in Italy, specifically in the regions of Piedmont and Lombardy, where it first emerged in the late Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Italian word "monte," meaning mountain or hill, and likely referred to someone who lived near or on a particular mount or hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Montano surname can be found in a document from the city of Novara, dated 1278, which mentions a certain Guglielmo Montano. Another early reference comes from the town of Pavia, where a Gian Battista Montano is recorded as having lived in the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the Montano name gained prominence with the birth of Giovanni Battista Montano (1498-1551), a renowned Italian humanist, scholar, and editor of the Renaissance era. He was particularly noted for his work on the Latin translation of the Bible, known as the Sixtine Vulgate.
Another notable figure bearing the Montano surname was Reginald Montano (1538-1623), an English Roman Catholic priest and theologian who played a significant role in the English Reformation. He was a staunch defender of Catholicism and wrote several works on theology and religious controversy.
In the 17th century, the Montano name appeared in the Spanish-speaking world with the birth of Benito Jerónimo Feijóo y Montano (1676-1764), a Spanish scholar, essayist, and monk who is considered one of the leading figures of the Spanish Enlightenment.
Moving into the 19th century, Francisco Montano (1832-1900) was a prominent Mexican painter and sculptor, known for his works depicting historical and religious subjects. His art can be found in various churches and public buildings throughout Mexico.
Another notable bearer of the Montano surname was José María Montano (1832-1890), a Peruvian politician and military leader who served as President of Peru from 1881 to 1883, during a turbulent period marked by the War of the Pacific against Chile.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Montano
Among Census respondents with the surname Montano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.6%. The next largest groups are White (10.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Montano 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 Montano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino85.6% · 22,773
- White10.6% · 2,806
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 496
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 205
- Two or more races0.7% · 191
- Black or African American0.5% · 121
Timeline
Historical Census data for Montano
Montano 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
#1,286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,276
+6,166 bearers (+29.2%)
Per 100,000 9.25
Rank movement Up 276 places
2020
#1,295
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,592
-684 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 8.90
Rank movement Down 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,562 | 21,110 | 7.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,286 | 27,276 | 9.25 | +6,166 bearers (+29.2%) | Up 276 places |
| 2020 | #1,295 | 26,592 | 8.90 | -684 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 9 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 Montano 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 | #1,286 | #1,295 | -0.7% |
| Count | 27,276 | 26,592 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 9.25 | 8.90 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Montano bearers went from 27,276 to 26,592 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,286 to #1,295.
FAQ
Montano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Montano?
Name Census estimates that about 30,494 living Americans carry the surname Montano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,240 residents.
How common is Montano?
Montano ranks #1,295 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 26,592 people with the surname Montano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (30,494), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Montano.
Has Montano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Montano went from 27,276 recorded bearers to 26,592. That is a decrease of 684 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,286 to #1,295.
What does the Census say about the background of Montano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Montano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.6%. The next largest groups are White (10.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Montano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (22,773 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Montano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (85.6%), White (10.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Montano (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 Montano mean?
Derived from the Italian word "montano," meaning "of the mountain," referring to someone who lived in a mountainous area. 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 Montano (8.90 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 have the surname Montano?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.