2000
#4,860
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,630
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.46
Rare Last name
Montemayor
A locational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Montemayor in Spain or Portugal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,415 Americans carry the last name Montemayor. That puts it at #4,177 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,405 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Montemayor 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
9.4K
1 in 36,405
Census rank
#4,177
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,210 bearers of the surname Montemayor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4177th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Montemayor, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.7%) and White (8.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Montemayor
Among Census respondents with the surname Montemayor, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.7%) and White (8.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Montemayor 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 Montemayor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino80.5% · 6,612
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.7% · 795
- White8.2% · 674
- Two or more races1.0% · 85
- Black or African American0.3% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Montemayor
Montemayor 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
#4,386
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,106
+1,476 bearers (+22.3%)
Per 100,000 2.75
Rank movement Up 474 places
2020
#4,177
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,210
+104 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 2.75
Rank movement Up 209 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,860 | 6,630 | 2.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,386 | 8,106 | 2.75 | +1,476 bearers (+22.3%) | Up 474 places |
| 2020 | #4,177 | 8,210 | 2.75 | +104 bearers (+1.3%) | Up 209 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 Montemayor 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 | #4,386 | #4,177 | 4.8% |
| Count | 8,106 | 8,210 | 1.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.75 | 2.75 | -0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Montemayor bearers went from 8,106 to 8,210 (+1.3% change). The surname moved up 209 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,386 to #4,177.
FAQ
Montemayor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Montemayor?
Name Census estimates that about 9,415 living Americans carry the surname Montemayor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,405 residents.
How common is Montemayor?
Montemayor ranks #4,177 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,210 people with the surname Montemayor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,415), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Montemayor.
Has Montemayor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Montemayor went from 8,106 recorded bearers to 8,210. That is an increase of 104 (+1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,386 to #4,177.
What does the Census say about the background of Montemayor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Montemayor, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.7%) and White (8.2%). 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 Montemayor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.5% (6,612 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Montemayor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (80.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (9.7%), White (8.2%). 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 Montemayor (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 Montemayor mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Montemayor in Spain or Portugal. 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 Montemayor (2.75 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 common is the surname Montemayor?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Montemayor is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.