2000
#9,310
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,215
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.19
Rare Last name
Mountain
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived on or near a mountain or large hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,634 Americans carry the last name Mountain. That puts it at #9,768 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,319 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mountain 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mountain with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 94,319
Census rank
#9,768
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,169 bearers of the surname Mountain in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9768th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mountain, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mountain
The surname "Mountain" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, likely derived from the Old English word "munte" or "mont," which referred to a hill or mountain. This name was likely given as a descriptive surname to individuals who lived near or came from a mountainous region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "Mountain" dates back to the 13th century, appearing in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273, where a person named William de la Munte is mentioned. This spelling variation, "de la Munte," reflects the Norman French influence on English surnames during that time.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379, where a Richard del Monte is listed. The use of the preposition "del" or "de la" before the surname was common, indicating the person's association with a particular place.
The surname "Mountain" may also have derived from place names containing the word "mount" or "mountain," such as Montacute in Somerset or Montfort in various locations across England. Individuals who originated from or lived near these places might have adopted the surname "Mountain" over time.
Among notable historical figures bearing the surname "Mountain" is John Mountain (c. 1610-1672), an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of London from 1663 to 1672. Another prominent individual was George Jehoshaphat Mountain (1789-1863), a Canadian Anglican bishop who served as the third Bishop of Montreal from 1836 to 1863.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "Mountain" is found in the Virginia colonial records, where a George Mountain is mentioned in 1639. Later, in the 18th century, Jacob Mountain (1751-1825) was a notable figure, serving as the first Anglican Bishop of Quebec from 1793 to 1825.
Other notable individuals with the surname "Mountain" include William Mountain (1789-1866), a British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812, and George Arbuthnot Mountain (1798-1865), a British diplomat and politician who served as the Governor of Newfoundland from 1857 to 1861.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mountain
Among Census respondents with the surname Mountain, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mountain 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 Mountain surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.5% · 2,488
- Black or African American7.8% · 246
- Two or more races5.3% · 169
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.4% · 138
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 105
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mountain
Mountain 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
#9,877
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,274
+59 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 567 places
2020
#9,768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,169
-105 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Up 109 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,310 | 3,215 | 1.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,877 | 3,274 | 1.11 | +59 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 567 places |
| 2020 | #9,768 | 3,169 | 1.06 | -105 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 109 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 Mountain 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 | #9,877 | #9,768 | 1.1% |
| Count | 3,274 | 3,169 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.11 | 1.06 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mountain bearers went from 3,274 to 3,169 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 109 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,877 to #9,768.
FAQ
Mountain surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mountain?
Name Census estimates that about 3,634 living Americans carry the surname Mountain. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,319 residents.
How common is Mountain?
Mountain ranks #9,768 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 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 3,169 people with the surname Mountain. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,634), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 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 Mountain.
Has Mountain become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mountain went from 3,274 recorded bearers to 3,169. That is a decrease of 105 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,877 to #9,768.
What does the Census say about the background of Mountain?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mountain, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mountain in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.5% (2,488 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mountain appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.5%), Black (7.8%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Mountain (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 Mountain mean?
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived on or near a mountain or large hill. 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 Mountain (1.06 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 are called Mountain?
Want to know how common the surname Mountain is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.