Montenegro Last Name Popularity, Meaning and Origin

In this article we'll look at the origin and meaning of the surname Montenegro and how popular it is in the United States. We'll also look at the race and ethnic origin of people in the United States who are named Montenegro.

Montenegro, like all of the 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 Montenegro surname is from the 2010 census data.

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What is the Origin and Meaning of the Last Name Montenegro?

The name Montenegro is a surname of Portuguese, Spanish and Italian origin. It is a habitual surname that takes its root from the various places that bear the name Montenegro. Translated, the term Montenegro means “black mountain.” The original bearers of this name likely lived in or were born in the area that was referred to as Montenegro.

Friar Benito Jerónimo Feijóo y Montenegro (8 October 1676 – 26 September 1764) was a Spanish monk born in the Galicia region of Spain. Benito joined the Benedictine order when he was just 14 years old after taking classes in Galicia, Leon and Salamanca. In later life, Montenegro became a professor of Theology and developed a distaste for the superstition and ignorance of his time. Benito would create several literary works throughout his life that promoted and embraced scientific thought as well as theology.

Roberto Montenegro Nervo (February 19, 1885 – October 13, 1968) was a Mexican born painter, muralist and illustrator. An early participant in the Mexican muralist movement, Roberto was recruited by Mexico’s secretary of education in 1921. Years spent in Spain shaped his artistic style.

Where Does Montenegro Rank in the Most Common U.S. Names?

According to the data, Montenegro is ranked #3,365 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

The Montenegro surname appeared 10,606 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3.60 would have the surname Montenegro.

We can also compare 2010 data for Montenegro 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 3365 4124 -20.27%
Count 10,606 7,943 28.71%
Proportion per 100k 3.60 2.94 20.18%

Race and Ethnic Origin of People with the Last Name Montenegro

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

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: "White only", "Black only", "American Indian and Alaskan Native only", "Asian and Pacific Islander only", "Two or More Races", and "Hispanic".

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Montenegro was:

  • 6.89%, or 731 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic White Only".
  • 0.45%, or 48 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic Black Only".
  • 3.43%, or 364 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only".
  • 0.14%, or 15 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native".
  • 0.51%, or 54 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races".
  • 88.57%, or 9,394 total occurrences, were "Hispanic Origin".

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 Montenegro has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 6.89% 7.45% -7.81%
Black 0.45% 0.31% 36.84%
Asian and Pacific Islander 3.43% 3.65% -6.21%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.14% 0.14% 0.00%
Two or More Races 0.51% 0.81% -45.45%
Hispanic 88.57% 87.64% 1.06%

Data Source(s)

All of the data on this page is sourced from the Decennial Census survey, from the United States Census Bureau.

Link To or Reference This Page

We spent a lot of time downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

  • "Montenegro Last Name Popularity, Meaning and Origin". NameCensus.com. Accessed on March 29, 2024. https://namecensus.com/last-names/montenegro-surname-popularity/.

  • "Montenegro Last Name Popularity, Meaning and Origin". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/montenegro-surname-popularity/. Accessed 29 March, 2024

  • Montenegro Last Name Popularity, Meaning and Origin. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from https://namecensus.com/last-names/montenegro-surname-popularity/.