2000
#9,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,319
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.23
Rare Last name
Monteleone
Derived from a place name referring to a person who lived near a mountain with lions.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,770 Americans carry the last name Monteleone. That puts it at #9,464 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,916 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Monteleone 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
3.8K
1 in 90,916
Census rank
#9,464
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,288 bearers of the surname Monteleone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9464th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Monteleone, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Monteleone
The surname Monteleone is of Italian origin, specifically from the region of Campania. It is derived from the Italian words "monte," meaning mountain, and "leone," meaning lion. The name likely originated as a reference to a prominent physical feature or location associated with a lion, such as a mountain or hill resembling a lion's shape.
The earliest known use of the surname Monteleone dates back to the 13th century in historical records from the city of Naples. It is believed that the name was first adopted by a family residing near a mountain or hill that was locally known as the "Lion's Mountain" or "Monte del Leone."
In the 15th century, the Monteleone family established themselves as noble landowners in the town of Vico Equense, near the famous Amalfi Coast. Several documents from this period, including property deeds and legal contracts, mention members of the Monteleone family as prominent figures in the local community.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Monteleone was Girolamo Monteleone (1446-1514), a renowned architect and engineer who contributed to the design and construction of several notable buildings in Naples and its surrounding areas.
In the 16th century, the Monteleone family gained further prominence when Gian Battista Monteleone (1520-1598) served as a high-ranking official in the Kingdom of Naples under the Spanish rule. He played a significant role in the administration and governance of the region.
Another notable figure was Antonio Monteleone (1631-1701), a celebrated painter from Naples who specialized in religious artwork. Many of his paintings can still be found in churches and museums throughout Italy.
During the 18th century, Giuseppe Monteleone (1715-1789) was a prominent lawyer and legal scholar who authored several influential treatises on Neapolitan law and jurisprudence.
In the 19th century, Pietro Monteleone (1810-1892) was a renowned author and poet from Campania. His works, which celebrated the beauty of his native region and its rich cultural heritage, were widely acclaimed and helped to preserve the literary traditions of southern Italy.
Throughout its long history, the surname Monteleone has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, lawyers, and influential members of the nobility and clergy. While the name originated in the Campania region of Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the country and beyond, carried by families and individuals who have contributed to the rich tapestry of Italian culture and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Monteleone
Among Census respondents with the surname Monteleone, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Monteleone 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 Monteleone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 3,019
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 167
- Two or more races1.9% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 26
- Black or African American0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Monteleone
Monteleone 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
#9,074
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,602
+283 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 19 places
2020
#9,464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,288
-314 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 390 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,055 | 3,319 | 1.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,074 | 3,602 | 1.22 | +283 bearers (+8.5%) | Down 19 places |
| 2020 | #9,464 | 3,288 | 1.10 | -314 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 390 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 Monteleone 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 | #9,074 | #9,464 | -4.3% |
| Count | 3,602 | 3,288 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.22 | 1.10 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Monteleone bearers went from 3,602 to 3,288 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 390 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,074 to #9,464.
FAQ
Monteleone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Monteleone?
Name Census estimates that about 3,770 living Americans carry the surname Monteleone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,916 residents.
How common is Monteleone?
Monteleone ranks #9,464 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 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 3,288 people with the surname Monteleone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,770), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 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 Monteleone.
Has Monteleone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Monteleone went from 3,602 recorded bearers to 3,288. That is a decrease of 314 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,074 to #9,464.
What does the Census say about the background of Monteleone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Monteleone, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Monteleone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (3,019 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Monteleone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (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 Monteleone (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 Monteleone mean?
Derived from a place name referring to a person who lived near a mountain with lions. 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 Monteleone (1.10 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 Monteleone?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.