Find out how popular the last name Monteza is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Monteza.

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

Popularity of Monteza in America

Monteza is the 148347th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Monteza surname appeared 111 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Monteza.

The history of the last name Monteza

The surname Monteza has its origins in Spain, first appearing in the late 15th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "monte" meaning mountain, and likely referred to someone who lived near or on a mountain. The earliest recorded spelling was "Monteça" in 1492, around the time of Christopher Columbus' voyages to the Americas.

In the 16th century, the name began appearing in historical records and documents across various regions of Spain. One notable mention is in the records of the Spanish Inquisition, where a Juan Monteza was accused of heresy in 1534. The name also appeared in a 1572 census of the town of Montesa, which may have influenced the spelling variation.

The first recorded instance of the Monteza surname outside of Spain was in 1612, when a family of that name settled in the Spanish colony of Mexico. Over the following centuries, the name spread to other Spanish-speaking regions of the Americas, including parts of Central and South America.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Monteza name was Pedro Monteza, a Spanish explorer born in 1505. He was part of Hernán Cortés' expedition to Mexico and played a role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire. Another notable figure was Diego Monteza (1570-1638), a Spanish soldier and governor of the Philippines from 1634 to 1638.

In the 18th century, a Miguel Monteza (1725-1801) was a prominent landowner and cattle rancher in the region of modern-day Argentina. His descendants continued to use the Monteza surname in that country for generations.

More recently, Emilio Monteza (1880-1958) was a Mexican politician and diplomat who served as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs in the 1920s. And in the field of literature, Marcela Monteza (1920-2002) was a respected Peruvian poet and writer whose works explored themes of indigenous culture and identity.

While the Monteza surname is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich history spanning multiple countries and cultures, all tied back to its Spanish origins and the concept of living near or on a mountain.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Monteza

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

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:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

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

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.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Monteza was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Monteza, please contact us.

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