2000
#2,957
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,207
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.15
Uncommon Last name
Monk
An occupational surname referring to a monk, someone who lived in a monastery or provided religious services.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,854 Americans carry the last name Monk. That puts it at #3,134 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,665 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Monk 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 Monk with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,665
Census rank
#3,134
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,209 bearers of the surname Monk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3134th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Monk, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Monk
The surname MONK has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old English word 'munuc', meaning a monk or a religious recluse. It was initially used as an occupational name for someone who was a monk or lived a monastic lifestyle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Monac'. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century in various parts of England.
In the 13th century, the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire as 'le Monk'. This form indicates that the name was also used as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who had a monkish appearance or demeanor.
The surname MONK can also be traced back to various place names in England, such as Monk Bretton in Yorkshire, Monkton in various counties, and Monk Soham in Suffolk. These place names likely originated from the presence of monastic settlements or churches in those areas.
One notable bearer of the surname was George Monk, 1st Duke of Albemarle (1608-1670), a renowned English military leader who played a crucial role in the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660. Another prominent figure was Maria Monk (1816-1849), a Canadian woman who published a controversial book alleging misconduct in a Montreal convent.
Other historical figures with the surname MONK include Thelonious Monk (1917-1982), an influential American jazz pianist and composer, and William Henry Monk (1823-1889), an English composer and church musician best known for his hymn tunes.
In the United States, the surname MONK can be traced back to early colonial times, with records showing individuals bearing the name in Virginia and Massachusetts in the 17th century. One notable American with this surname was Alfred Monk (1869-1930), a lawyer and politician who served as the 25th Lieutenant Governor of California.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Monk
Among Census respondents with the surname Monk, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Monk 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 Monk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.3% · 8,442
- Black or African American15.8% · 1,770
- Two or more races4.4% · 488
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 349
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 87
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 73
Timeline
Historical Census data for Monk
Monk 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
#2,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,103
+896 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 4.10
Rank movement Down 7 places
2020
#3,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,209
-894 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 3.75
Rank movement Down 170 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,957 | 11,207 | 4.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,964 | 12,103 | 4.10 | +896 bearers (+8.0%) | Down 7 places |
| 2020 | #3,134 | 11,209 | 3.75 | -894 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 170 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 Monk 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 | #2,964 | #3,134 | -5.7% |
| Count | 12,103 | 11,209 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.10 | 3.75 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Monk bearers went from 12,103 to 11,209 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 170 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,964 to #3,134.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Monk
FAQ
Monk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Monk?
Name Census estimates that about 12,854 living Americans carry the surname Monk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,665 residents.
How common is Monk?
Monk ranks #3,134 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.75 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 11,209 people with the surname Monk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,854), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.75 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 Monk.
Has Monk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Monk went from 12,103 recorded bearers to 11,209. That is a decrease of 894 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,964 to #3,134.
What does the Census say about the background of Monk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Monk, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Monk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.3% (8,442 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Monk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.3%), Black (15.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Monk (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 Monk mean?
An occupational surname referring to a monk, someone who lived in a monastery or provided religious services. 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 Monk (3.75 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 last name Monk?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Monk on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.