2000
#5,646
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,639
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.09
Rare Last name
Munroe
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from the River Roe or a place called Roe in Northern Ireland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,122 Americans carry the last name Munroe. That puts it at #5,422 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,126 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Munroe 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 Munroe with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.1K
1 in 48,126
Census rank
#5,422
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,211 bearers of the surname Munroe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5422nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Munroe, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.2%. The next largest groups are Black (21.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Munroe
The surname MUNROE is of Scottish origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic words 'mun' meaning 'hill' or 'mountain' and 'rath' meaning 'fort' or 'stronghold'. Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived near a fortified hill or mountain.
The name was first recorded in the late 12th century in the Scottish county of Ayrshire, where it appeared as 'Monrui' and 'Munrou'. By the 13th century, variations such as 'Munro' and 'Monro' were common in the same region. The earliest known bearer of the name was Sir Donald Monro, who was granted lands in Ross-shire by King Alexander II in the early 13th century.
In the 14th century, the MUNROE name appeared in several historical records, including the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland and the Ragman Rolls, which documented Scottish nobles who swore fealty to Edward I of England. Notable figures from this period include Sir Reginald Munro, who fought alongside Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the MUNROE name was well-established in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the counties of Ross-shire and Sutherland. Several prominent members of the clan included Sir Robert Munro, 18th Baron of Foulis (1542-1633), a renowned military leader who fought in the Thirty Years' War, and Sir George Munro (1610-1698), a general in the Swedish army during the same conflict.
In the 18th century, the MUNROE name gained wider recognition through the exploits of Sir Hector Munro (1726-1805), a Scottish soldier and commander who served in the British Army during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Munro (1761-1827), a British colonial administrator who served as Governor of Madras and played a significant role in the expansion of British rule in India.
Throughout history, the MUNROE surname has been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Munro's Hill in Aberdeenshire and Munro's Acre in Inverness-shire. These toponyms reflect the clan's historical ties to specific regions and territories within the Scottish Highlands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Munroe
Among Census respondents with the surname Munroe, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.2%. The next largest groups are Black (21.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Munroe 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 Munroe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.2% · 4,233
- Black or African American21.4% · 1,329
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 285
- Two or more races4.3% · 269
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Munroe
Munroe 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
#5,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,226
+587 bearers (+10.4%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Up 63 places
2020
#5,422
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,211
-15 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Up 161 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,646 | 5,639 | 2.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,583 | 6,226 | 2.11 | +587 bearers (+10.4%) | Up 63 places |
| 2020 | #5,422 | 6,211 | 2.08 | -15 bearers (-0.2%) | Up 161 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 Munroe 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 | #5,583 | #5,422 | 2.9% |
| Count | 6,226 | 6,211 | -0.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.11 | 2.08 | -1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Munroe bearers went from 6,226 to 6,211 (-0.2% change). The surname moved up 161 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,583 to #5,422.
FAQ
Munroe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Munroe?
Name Census estimates that about 7,122 living Americans carry the surname Munroe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,126 residents.
How common is Munroe?
Munroe ranks #5,422 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.08 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 6,211 people with the surname Munroe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.08 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 Munroe.
Has Munroe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Munroe went from 6,226 recorded bearers to 6,211. That is a decrease of 15 (-0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,583 to #5,422.
What does the Census say about the background of Munroe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Munroe, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.2%. The next largest groups are Black (21.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Munroe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.2% (4,233 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Munroe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.2%), Black (21.4%), Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Munroe (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 Munroe mean?
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from the River Roe or a place called Roe in Northern Ireland. 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 Munroe (2.08 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 share the surname Munroe?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.