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

Montealegre, 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 Montealegre surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Montealegre in America

Montealegre is the 27678th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Montealegre surname appeared 869 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Montealegre.

We can also compare 2010 data for Montealegre 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 Montealegre

The surname Montealegre originated in Spain, likely during the medieval period. It is a Spanish toponymic name derived from the combination of the words "monte," meaning mountain or hill, and "alegre," meaning joyful or happy. This suggests that the name may have originated from a particular location or region associated with a joyful or pleasant mountain or hill area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Montealegre can be found in the archives of the Kingdom of Aragon, dating back to the 13th century. The name appears in various historical documents and records from that time period, indicating its presence in the region.

During the 15th century, there are records of a nobleman named Juan de Montealegre, who served as a military commander under King Ferdinand II of Aragon. He was known for his bravery and loyalty during the Reconquista, the campaign to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.

In the 16th century, a notable figure named Diego de Montealegre y Arce (1508-1574) gained recognition as a Spanish conquistador and explorer. He participated in the conquest of Peru and served as the governor of the Río de la Plata region (present-day Argentina and Uruguay) from 1567 to 1574.

Another prominent individual with the surname Montealegre was Álvaro de Montealegre y Leyva (1587-1671), a Spanish military officer and governor of the Philippines from 1638 to 1642. He played a crucial role in defending the islands against Dutch and Portuguese attacks during his tenure.

In the realm of literature, the Spanish poet and playwright Juan de Montealegre y Andrade (1595-1637) gained recognition for his works, including the play "El Príncipe Prodigioso y Defensor de la Fe" (The Prodigious Prince and Defender of the Faith).

Throughout history, the surname Montealegre has been associated with various locations in Spain, including towns and villages bearing similar names, such as Montealegre del Castillo in the province of Albacete, and Montealegre de Campos in the province of Valladolid. These place names likely contributed to the formation and spread of the surname across different regions of the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Montealegre

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

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

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

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