2000
#4,152
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,899
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.93
Uncommon Last name
Montiel
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating someone from any of numerous places named Montiel, derived from "monte," meaning mountain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,552 Americans carry the last name Montiel. That puts it at #2,980 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,292 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Montiel 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
14K
1 in 25,292
Census rank
#2,980
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,818 bearers of the surname Montiel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2980th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Montiel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Montiel
The surname Montiel is of Spanish origin, originating from the region of La Mancha in central Spain during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish words "monte," meaning "mountain," and "el," meaning "the," suggesting a connection to a particular mountainous area or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Montiel surname can be found in the 14th century, when a nobleman named Juan de Montiel was appointed as a military commander during the Reconquista, the period when Christian kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula fought to reclaim territories from the Moors.
In the 15th century, the Montiel family played a significant role in the colonization of the Americas. Diego de Montiel, born around 1450, was a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico. He later became one of the founders of the city of Veracruz.
Another notable figure with the Montiel surname was Miguel de Montiel, a Spanish artist and painter who lived in the 17th century. His works, primarily religious paintings and portraits, can be found in various churches and museums across Spain.
During the 18th century, the Montiel family established itself in various parts of the Spanish Empire. José de Montiel, born in 1725, was a prominent military officer who served as the governor of the province of Texas, then part of New Spain.
In the 19th century, Manuel Montiel, born in 1810, was a Mexican politician and military leader who played a significant role in the Mexican-American War. He served as the governor of the state of Nuevo León and was later appointed as the Minister of War and Marine during the presidency of Benito Juárez.
Throughout history, the Montiel surname has also been associated with various locations and place names, such as Montiel, a town in the province of Ciudad Real, Spain, and Montieles, a municipality in the province of Valladolid, Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Montiel
Among Census respondents with the surname Montiel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Montiel 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 Montiel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.6% · 11,065
- White4.8% · 564
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 48
- Black or African American0.4% · 42
- Two or more races0.3% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Montiel
Montiel 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
#2,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,376
+4,477 bearers (+56.7%)
Per 100,000 4.20
Rank movement Up 1,256 places
2020
#2,980
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,818
-558 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 3.95
Rank movement Down 84 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,152 | 7,899 | 2.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,896 | 12,376 | 4.20 | +4,477 bearers (+56.7%) | Up 1,256 places |
| 2020 | #2,980 | 11,818 | 3.95 | -558 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 84 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 Montiel 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 | #2,896 | #2,980 | -2.9% |
| Count | 12,376 | 11,818 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.20 | 3.95 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Montiel bearers went from 12,376 to 11,818 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 84 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,896 to #2,980.
FAQ
Montiel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Montiel?
Name Census estimates that about 13,552 living Americans carry the surname Montiel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,292 residents.
How common is Montiel?
Montiel ranks #2,980 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,818 people with the surname Montiel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,552), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Montiel.
Has Montiel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Montiel went from 12,376 recorded bearers to 11,818. That is a decrease of 558 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,896 to #2,980.
What does the Census say about the background of Montiel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Montiel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Montiel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (11,065 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Montiel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.6%), White (4.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Montiel (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 Montiel mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating someone from any of numerous places named Montiel, derived from "monte," meaning 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 Montiel (3.95 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 Montiel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.