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

Montemayor, 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 Montemayor surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Montemayor in America

Montemayor is the 4386th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Montemayor surname appeared 8,106 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Montemayor.

We can also compare 2010 data for Montemayor 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 Montemayor

The surname Montemayor is of Spanish origin, with its roots dating back to the medieval period in Spain. It is a compound word derived from the Spanish words "monte," meaning mountain, and "mayor," meaning greater or larger. This combination suggests that the name may have originated as a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived near or owned a larger mountain or hill.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Montemayor surname can be found in the 15th century, when a nobleman named Rodrigo de Montemayor was mentioned in historical records from the city of Toledo, Spain. In the 16th century, the Spanish poet and novelist Jorge de Montemayor (c. 1520-1561) gained fame for his work "La Diana," considered one of the earliest and most influential pastoral novels in Spanish literature.

In the 17th century, the Montemayor name appeared in various regions of Spain, including Andalusia and Castile. Records from this time period suggest that the surname may have been associated with specific locations or place names that incorporated the word "Montemayor," such as the town of Montemayor in the province of Córdoba.

During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, several individuals bearing the Montemayor surname played notable roles. One such figure was Juan de Montemayor y Cuenca (c. 1590-1659), a Spanish conquistador and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Chile from 1629 to 1637.

Another prominent individual with the Montemayor surname was Antonio de Montemayor y Cuenca (c. 1620-1688), a Spanish colonial official who served as the governor of Panama from 1679 to 1682. He was instrumental in strengthening the defenses of the region against pirate attacks.

In the 18th century, the Montemayor name continued to be present in various parts of Spain and its colonies. One notable figure from this era was Pedro de Montemayor (c. 1720-1790), a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1766 to 1770.

Throughout its history, the Montemayor surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including writers, military leaders, colonial administrators, and noblemen. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Spain, the name has since spread to other regions of the world through migration and the Spanish colonial influence.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Montemayor

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

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

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

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