2000
#7,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,851
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.43
Rare Last name
Mounts
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near or on a hill or mountain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,366 Americans carry the last name Mounts. That puts it at #8,324 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,505 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mounts 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
4.4K
1 in 78,505
Census rank
#8,324
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,807 bearers of the surname Mounts in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8324th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mounts, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mounts
The surname Mounts is believed to have originated in England, possibly during the medieval period. It is thought to be a topographic name, derived from the Old English word "munt," meaning a hill or mountain. The name may have been given to someone who lived near or on a hill or mountain.
In some early records, the name was spelled as "Monte" or "Mount," which further supports the theory of its topographic origin. The name may have also been influenced by the Norman French word "mont," meaning the same thing.
One of the earliest known references to the name Mounts can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1196, where a person named William de la Monte is mentioned. This suggests that the name was in use by the late 12th century.
Another early record of the name is in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a John del Mounte. The use of the preposition "del" in this instance indicates that the name was likely derived from a place name, further supporting its topographic origin.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire from 1379, where a Robert del Mounte is listed. This record provides evidence of the name's use in different regions of England during the medieval period.
One notable bearer of the surname Mounts was George Mounts (1691-1770), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Bishop of London from 1748 until his death.
Another prominent individual with this surname was John Mounts (1765-1835), an American soldier and frontiersman who served in the Revolutionary War and later became a notable figure in the settlement of Ohio.
In the 19th century, William Mounts (1808-1891) was a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including St. James's Church and the Royal Albert Hall.
Other notable individuals with the surname Mounts include Mary Mounts (1887-1964), an American artist and painter known for her landscapes and still life works, and John Mounts (1918-2002), a British politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party from 1959 to 1987.
While the surname Mounts is not among the most common surnames in the English-speaking world, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and can be traced back to its topographic origins in medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mounts
Among Census respondents with the surname Mounts, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mounts 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 Mounts surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 3,410
- Two or more races4.1% · 155
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 153
- Black or African American1.3% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mounts
Mounts 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
#8,361
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,960
+109 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 390 places
2020
#8,324
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,807
-153 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Up 37 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,971 | 3,851 | 1.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,361 | 3,960 | 1.34 | +109 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 390 places |
| 2020 | #8,324 | 3,807 | 1.27 | -153 bearers (-3.9%) | Up 37 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 Mounts 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 | #8,361 | #8,324 | 0.4% |
| Count | 3,960 | 3,807 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.27 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mounts bearers went from 3,960 to 3,807 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 37 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,361 to #8,324.
FAQ
Mounts surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mounts?
Name Census estimates that about 4,366 living Americans carry the surname Mounts. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,505 residents.
How common is Mounts?
Mounts ranks #8,324 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 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 3,807 people with the surname Mounts. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,366), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 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 Mounts.
Has Mounts become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mounts went from 3,960 recorded bearers to 3,807. That is a decrease of 153 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,361 to #8,324.
What does the Census say about the background of Mounts?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mounts, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Mounts in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (3,410 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mounts appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Mounts (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 Mounts mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near or on a hill or 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 Mounts (1.27 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 Mounts?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.