2000
#18,209
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,409
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.52
Rare Last name
Monterrosa
A habitational surname referring to someone from Monterroso, a municipality in the province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,414 Americans carry the last name Monterrosa. That puts it at #13,760 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,986 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Monterrosa 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
2.4K
1 in 141,986
Census rank
#13,760
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,105 bearers of the surname Monterrosa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13760th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Monterrosa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Monterrosa
The surname Monterrosa has its origins in Spain, specifically in the region of Catalonia. It dates back to the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Catalan words "mont" meaning mountain and "rosa" meaning rose, suggesting a connection to a place or a person associated with a rose-covered mountain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Catalonian town of Montblanc, where a document from 1278 mentions a certain Ramon Monterrosa. This indicates that the name was already in use during that time period. It is believed that the name may have originated from a place name or a descriptive nickname given to someone living near a rose-covered mountain.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various historical records in the region of Valencia, indicating its spread across different parts of Spain. A notable figure from this era was Joan Monterrosa, a merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Valencia around 1350.
As the Spanish empire expanded, the name Monterrosa was carried to different parts of the world, including the Americas. One of the earliest known instances of the name in the New World is that of Pedro Monterrosa, a Spanish soldier who participated in the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name gained prominence in the region of Andalusia, where several members of the Monterrosa family held influential positions. One such individual was Diego Monterrosa, a prominent landowner and local politician in the city of Seville, who lived from 1625 to 1698.
Another notable figure bearing the surname Monterrosa was María Monterrosa, a renowned poet and writer from Granada, who lived between 1756 and 1820. Her work was widely celebrated during the Spanish Golden Age and contributed to the literary heritage of the region.
Throughout history, the Monterrosa name has been associated with various professions and fields, including military service, politics, literature, and business. While the name originated in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly Latin America, where it continues to be a prominent surname in countries like Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Monterrosa
Among Census respondents with the surname Monterrosa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Monterrosa 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 Monterrosa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.3% · 1,984
- White3.5% · 74
- Black or African American1.0% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- Two or more races0.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Monterrosa
Monterrosa 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
#14,643
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,032
+623 bearers (+44.2%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 3,566 places
2020
#13,760
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,105
+73 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 883 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,209 | 1,409 | 0.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,643 | 2,032 | 0.69 | +623 bearers (+44.2%) | Up 3,566 places |
| 2020 | #13,760 | 2,105 | 0.70 | +73 bearers (+3.6%) | Up 883 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 Monterrosa 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 | #14,643 | #13,760 | 6.0% |
| Count | 2,032 | 2,105 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.70 | 2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Monterrosa bearers went from 2,032 to 2,105 (+3.6% change). The surname moved up 883 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,643 to #13,760.
FAQ
Monterrosa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Monterrosa?
Name Census estimates that about 2,414 living Americans carry the surname Monterrosa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,986 residents.
How common is Monterrosa?
Monterrosa ranks #13,760 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,105 people with the surname Monterrosa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,414), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Monterrosa.
Has Monterrosa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Monterrosa went from 2,032 recorded bearers to 2,105. That is an increase of 73 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,643 to #13,760.
What does the Census say about the background of Monterrosa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Monterrosa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Monterrosa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (1,984 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Monterrosa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.3%), White (3.5%), Black (1.0%). 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 Monterrosa (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 Monterrosa mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from Monterroso, a municipality in the province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain. 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 Monterrosa (0.70 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 Americans have the surname Monterrosa?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.