2000
#7,726
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,966
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.47
Rare Last name
Montesdeoca
A Spanish habitational surname indicating a person from Montes de Oca, meaning "mountains of geese" in Spanish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,970 Americans carry the last name Montesdeoca. That puts it at #5,528 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,176 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Montesdeoca 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
7.0K
1 in 49,176
Census rank
#5,528
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,078 bearers of the surname Montesdeoca in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5528th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Montesdeoca, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Black (0.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Montesdeoca
The surname Montesdeoca has its origins in Spain, specifically in the Canary Islands. It is believed to have emerged in the late 15th or early 16th century, during the time when the Spanish were exploring and colonizing the Canary Islands.
The name Montesdeoca is a combination of the Spanish words "montes" meaning mountains, and "oca" which is believed to be derived from the Latin word "aucca" meaning goose. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who lived in a mountainous region where geese were found, or perhaps someone who herded geese in such an area.
There are no known historical references to the name Montesdeoca appearing in ancient manuscripts or records such as the Domesday Book. However, one of the earliest recorded examples of the name dates back to the late 16th century, when a man named Juan Montesdeoca was documented as living on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands.
Another notable individual with this surname was Diego Montesdeoca, a Spanish explorer and navigator who was born in the late 16th century and is believed to have played a role in the early exploration and mapping of the Canary Islands.
In the 17th century, a woman named María Montesdeoca was recorded as residing in the town of La Laguna on the island of Tenerife. She is believed to have been a prominent figure in the local community, although little is known about her life and accomplishments.
During the 18th century, a man named Andrés Montesdeoca y Pérez was a notable landowner and agricultural entrepreneur on the island of Gran Canaria. He was known for his successful cultivation of sugar cane and other crops, which contributed to the island's economy at the time.
In the 19th century, a writer and poet named José Montesdeoca y Rodríguez was born on the island of Tenerife in 1835. He gained recognition for his works that celebrated the natural beauty and cultural traditions of the Canary Islands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Montesdeoca
Among Census respondents with the surname Montesdeoca, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Black (0.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Montesdeoca 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 Montesdeoca surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.3% · 5,792
- White4.0% · 246
- Black or African American0.2% · 15
- Two or more races0.2% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Montesdeoca
Montesdeoca 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
#5,922
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,820
+1,854 bearers (+46.7%)
Per 100,000 1.97
Rank movement Up 1,804 places
2020
#5,528
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,078
+258 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 2.03
Rank movement Up 394 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,726 | 3,966 | 1.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,922 | 5,820 | 1.97 | +1,854 bearers (+46.7%) | Up 1,804 places |
| 2020 | #5,528 | 6,078 | 2.03 | +258 bearers (+4.4%) | Up 394 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 Montesdeoca 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 | #5,922 | #5,528 | 6.7% |
| Count | 5,820 | 6,078 | 4.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.97 | 2.03 | 3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Montesdeoca bearers went from 5,820 to 6,078 (+4.4% change). The surname moved up 394 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,922 to #5,528.
FAQ
Montesdeoca surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Montesdeoca?
Name Census estimates that about 6,970 living Americans carry the surname Montesdeoca. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,176 residents.
How common is Montesdeoca?
Montesdeoca ranks #5,528 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,078 people with the surname Montesdeoca. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,970), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Montesdeoca.
Has Montesdeoca become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Montesdeoca went from 5,820 recorded bearers to 6,078. That is an increase of 258 (+4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,922 to #5,528.
What does the Census say about the background of Montesdeoca?
Among Census respondents with the surname Montesdeoca, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Black (0.2%). 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 Montesdeoca in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (5,792 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Montesdeoca appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.3%), White (4.0%), Black (0.2%). 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 Montesdeoca (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 Montesdeoca mean?
A Spanish habitational surname indicating a person from Montes de Oca, meaning "mountains of geese" in Spanish. 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 Montesdeoca (2.03 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 many people have the surname Montesdeoca?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.