2000
#23,104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,032
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.38
Rare Last name
Montejo
A Spanish locative surname indicating origin from Montejo, a town in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,376 Americans carry the last name Montejo. That puts it at #13,940 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,257 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Montejo 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
2.4K
1 in 144,257
Census rank
#13,940
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,072 bearers of the surname Montejo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13940th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Montejo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.1%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Montejo
The surname Montejo is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period in Spain. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "monte," meaning "mountain," and the suffix "-ejo," indicating a diminutive form. This suggests that the name originally referred to a small mountain or hill.
One of the earliest recorded occurrences of the Montejo surname can be found in documents from the 16th century, during the Spanish conquest of the Americas. In 1527, Francisco de Montejo, a Spanish conquistador, led an expedition to the Yucatan Peninsula in present-day Mexico. He established a settlement called Salamanca de Campeche, which later became the city of Campeche.
Another notable figure bearing the Montejo name was Francisco de Montejo y León, the son of the conquistador. He was born in 1539 and played a significant role in the conquest of the Yucatan Peninsula, serving as the governor of the region from 1567 to 1579.
In the 17th century, the Montejo surname appeared in various records, including baptismal and marriage registers, in various regions of Spain, particularly in Castile and Andalusia. This suggests that the name had spread across the country by that time.
Moving forward to the 18th century, Juan Montejo was a Spanish military officer who served in the Spanish American War of Independence. He was born in 1780 and participated in several battles against the revolutionary forces in what is now Venezuela and Colombia.
In the 19th century, Mariano Montejo was a prominent Mexican politician and military leader. Born in 1818, he served as the governor of the Yucatan Peninsula from 1858 to 1859 and played a crucial role in the region's struggle for independence from Mexico.
While the surname Montejo has its origins in Spain, it has since spread to other Spanish-speaking countries, particularly in Latin America, due to migration and the Spanish colonial era. The name has also been associated with various place names, such as Montejo de la Sierra, a municipality in the province of Madrid, Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Montejo
Among Census respondents with the surname Montejo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.1%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Montejo 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 Montejo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino84.1% · 1,743
- White7.3% · 152
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.3% · 151
- Black or African American0.6% · 13
- Two or more races0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Montejo
Montejo 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
#16,887
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,687
+655 bearers (+63.5%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Up 6,217 places
2020
#13,940
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,072
+385 bearers (+22.8%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 2,947 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,104 | 1,032 | 0.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,887 | 1,687 | 0.57 | +655 bearers (+63.5%) | Up 6,217 places |
| 2020 | #13,940 | 2,072 | 0.69 | +385 bearers (+22.8%) | Up 2,947 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 Montejo 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 | #16,887 | #13,940 | 17.5% |
| Count | 1,687 | 2,072 | 22.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.57 | 0.69 | 21.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Montejo bearers went from 1,687 to 2,072 (+22.8% change). The surname moved up 2,947 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,887 to #13,940.
FAQ
Montejo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Montejo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,376 living Americans carry the surname Montejo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,257 residents.
How common is Montejo?
Montejo ranks #13,940 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,072 people with the surname Montejo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,376), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Montejo.
Has Montejo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Montejo went from 1,687 recorded bearers to 2,072. That is an increase of 385 (+22.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,887 to #13,940.
What does the Census say about the background of Montejo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Montejo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.1%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.3%). 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 Montejo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.1% (1,743 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Montejo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (84.1%), White (7.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.3%). 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 Montejo (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 Montejo mean?
A Spanish locative surname indicating origin from Montejo, a town in Spain. 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 Montejo (0.69 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 Montejo?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.