2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Monterey
A toponymic surname referring to the town of Monterey in California.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Monterey. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Monterey 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
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Monterey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Monterey, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 45.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (44.3%) and White (9.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Monterey
The surname Monterey is of Spanish origin and is derived from the place name "Monterrey" in Mexico. The name likely originated in the 16th or 17th century during the Spanish colonization of Mexico.
The word "Monterrey" is believed to have come from the Spanish words "monte" meaning mountain and "rey" meaning king, referring to a kingly mountain or mountain of the king. This suggests that the name may have been associated with a prominent mountain or geographic feature in the area.
Historical records show that the name Monterey first appeared in documents related to the founding of the city of Monterrey in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico, in the late 16th century. The city was established by Diego de Montemayor in 1596, and it is possible that some of the early settlers or administrators took on the name Monterey or variations of it.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname Monterey dates back to the late 17th century, when a man named Juan Monterey was listed as a landowner in the region around the city of Monterrey. In the early 18th century, a Spanish soldier named Pedro Monterey served in the Spanish army during the War of the Quadruple Alliance (1718-1720).
In the 19th century, a notable bearer of the name was Mariano Monterey, a Mexican general who fought in the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). He was born in 1796 and died in 1853. Another famous individual with the surname Monterey was Maria Monterey, a Spanish painter who lived in the late 19th century and was known for her portraits and landscape paintings.
Other historical figures with the surname Monterey include Santiago Monterey, a Spanish explorer who led expeditions in South America in the late 18th century, and Francisca Monterey, a Mexican writer and activist in the early 20th century who advocated for women's rights and education.
While the surname Monterey has its roots in Mexico and Spanish colonization, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, the name remains closely tied to its origins and the historical significance of the city of Monterrey in Mexico.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Monterey
Among Census respondents with the surname Monterey, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 45.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (44.3%) and White (9.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Monterey 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 Monterey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino45.4% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander44.3% · 43
- White9.3% · 9
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Monterey
Monterey appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-3 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 4,526 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 4,526 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 Monterey 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 | #160,975 | #156,449 | 2.8% |
| Count | 100 | 97 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Monterey bearers went from 100 to 97 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 4,526 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #156,449.
FAQ
Monterey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Monterey?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Monterey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Monterey?
Monterey ranks #156,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 97 people with the surname Monterey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Monterey.
Has Monterey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Monterey went from 100 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 3 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Monterey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Monterey, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 45.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (44.3%) and White (9.3%). 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 Monterey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.4% (44 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Monterey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (45.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (44.3%), White (9.3%). 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 Monterey (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 Monterey mean?
A toponymic surname referring to the town of Monterey in California. 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 Monterey (0.03 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 Monterey?
You can see how many people have the surname Monterey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.