2000
#15,710
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,707
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.63
Rare Last name
Monterroso
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places called Monterroso, meaning "red mountain."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,776 Americans carry the last name Monterroso. That puts it at #9,454 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,772 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Monterroso 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
3.8K
1 in 90,772
Census rank
#9,454
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,293 bearers of the surname Monterroso in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9454th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Monterroso, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Two or More Races (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Monterroso
The surname Monterroso is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots back to the Iberian Peninsula during the medieval period. It is a compound word derived from the Spanish words "monte" meaning mountain and "roso" meaning pink or rosy.
This combination suggests the name may have originated as a descriptive term for a person residing near a rose-tinted mountain or a settlement with a similar name. Alternatively, it could have been a nickname given to someone with a rosy complexion or a personal characteristic associated with the color pink.
One of the earliest known references to the Monterroso surname can be found in the Libro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a 14th-century manuscript that recorded the legal status of towns and villages in the Kingdom of Castile. This document mentions a place called "Monterroso" in the region of Salamanca, suggesting the name's geographical origins.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various records related to the Spanish conquest and colonization of the Americas. Notable bearers of the Monterroso surname during this period include Juan de Monterroso, a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Peru in the 1530s.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Monterroso surname gained prominence in various parts of the Spanish Empire, including Mexico and Guatemala. One famous bearer of the name was Antonio de Monterroso y Martínez, a renowned architect and military engineer who designed several fortifications and public buildings in Guatemala City in the late 17th century.
In the 19th century, the Monterroso surname was particularly prevalent in Central America. Joaquín Monterroso, a Guatemalan writer and diplomat born in 1859, was a prominent figure in the region's literary and political circles. He served as Guatemala's ambassador to several countries and published works on history and literature.
Another notable figure with the Monterroso surname was Augusto Monterroso, a Guatemalan writer and diplomat born in 1921. He is considered one of the most influential writers in the Spanish language and is best known for his short stories and literary essays. Monterroso's works explored themes of identity, language, and the human condition with a unique blend of humor and philosophical depth.
Throughout its history, the Monterroso surname has been associated with various professions and fields, including exploration, architecture, literature, and diplomacy. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Spain, the name has left an indelible mark across the Spanish-speaking world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Monterroso
Among Census respondents with the surname Monterroso, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Two or More Races (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Monterroso 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 Monterroso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.3% · 3,138
- White3.6% · 120
- Two or more races0.5% · 16
- Black or African American0.3% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Monterroso
Monterroso 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
#10,763
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,964
+1,257 bearers (+73.6%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Up 4,947 places
2020
#9,454
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,293
+329 bearers (+11.1%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Up 1,309 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,710 | 1,707 | 0.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,763 | 2,964 | 1.00 | +1,257 bearers (+73.6%) | Up 4,947 places |
| 2020 | #9,454 | 3,293 | 1.10 | +329 bearers (+11.1%) | Up 1,309 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 Monterroso 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 | #10,763 | #9,454 | 12.2% |
| Count | 2,964 | 3,293 | 11.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 1.10 | 10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Monterroso bearers went from 2,964 to 3,293 (+11.1% change). The surname moved up 1,309 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,763 to #9,454.
FAQ
Monterroso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Monterroso?
Name Census estimates that about 3,776 living Americans carry the surname Monterroso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,772 residents.
How common is Monterroso?
Monterroso ranks #9,454 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 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 3,293 people with the surname Monterroso. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,776), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 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 Monterroso.
Has Monterroso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Monterroso went from 2,964 recorded bearers to 3,293. That is an increase of 329 (+11.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,763 to #9,454.
What does the Census say about the background of Monterroso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Monterroso, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Two or More Races (0.5%). 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 Monterroso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (3,138 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Monterroso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.3%), White (3.6%), Two or More Races (0.5%). 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 Monterroso (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 Monterroso mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places called Monterroso, meaning "red mountain." 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 Monterroso (1.10 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 people have the surname Monterroso?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.