2000
#246
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112,144
First available Census row
Per 100,000 41.57
Common Last name
Montgomery
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "Gumarich's hill" in Norman French.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127,254 Americans carry the last name Montgomery. That puts it at #275 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 37.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,693 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Montgomery 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 Montgomery with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
127K
1 in 2,693
Census rank
#275
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
37.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110,972 bearers of the surname Montgomery in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 37.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 275th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Montgomery, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (25.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Montgomery
The surname Montgomery originates from the Old English words "munt" meaning hill or mountain, and "gumerigan" meaning of the men. It is believed to have first emerged in the 10th century in the Anglo-Saxon region of what is now Shropshire, England.
The earliest known record of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Montgomerie" and associated with lands held by a Norman nobleman named Roger de Montgomerie. This suggests the name may have also been adopted or influenced by Norman French speakers after the conquest of England in 1066.
The Montgomery family held extensive lands and titles in Shropshire and the Welsh Marches during the medieval period. One notable member was Roger de Montgomery, who was one of William the Conqueror's chief counselors and was granted the Earldom of Arundel and Shrewsbury as rewards for his service.
In Scotland, the name emerged in the 12th century when Walter de Montgomerie was granted lands in Renfrewshire by King David I. The Montgomeries went on to become an influential noble family, with members holding the titles of Earl of Eglinton and Winton. Sir John Montgomery (1470-1513) was a prominent knight during the reigns of James IV and James V.
The Montgomery name also has a strong historical presence in Ireland, where it was first introduced by English and Scottish settlers during the Plantation of Ulster in the 17th century. One notable figure was William Montgomery (1633-1707), a Scottish soldier who served as a commander in the Irish Confederate Wars.
In the United States, some early bearers of the name include John Montgomery (1722-1808), a Pennsylvania legislator and judge, and Richard Montgomery (1738-1775), an Irish-born soldier who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and was killed in the Battle of Quebec.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Montgomery
Among Census respondents with the surname Montgomery, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (25.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Montgomery 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 Montgomery surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.4% · 72,565
- Black or African American25.5% · 28,334
- Two or more races4.5% · 4,939
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 3,688
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 803
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 643
Timeline
Historical Census data for Montgomery
Montgomery 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
#263
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115,953
+3,809 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 39.31
Rank movement Down 17 places
2020
#275
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110,972
-4,981 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 37.13
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #246 | 112,144 | 41.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #263 | 115,953 | 39.31 | +3,809 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 17 places |
| 2020 | #275 | 110,972 | 37.13 | -4,981 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 12 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 Montgomery 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 | #263 | #275 | -4.6% |
| Count | 115,953 | 110,972 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 39.31 | 37.13 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Montgomery bearers went from 115,953 to 110,972 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #263 to #275.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Montgomery
FAQ
Montgomery surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Montgomery?
Name Census estimates that about 127,254 living Americans carry the surname Montgomery. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,693 residents.
How common is Montgomery?
Montgomery ranks #275 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 37.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 37 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110,972 people with the surname Montgomery. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127,254), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 37.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 37.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 37 of them to have the surname Montgomery.
Has Montgomery become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Montgomery went from 115,953 recorded bearers to 110,972. That is a decrease of 4,981 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #263 to #275.
What does the Census say about the background of Montgomery?
Among Census respondents with the surname Montgomery, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (25.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Montgomery in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.4% (72,565 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Montgomery appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.4%), Black (25.5%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Montgomery (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 Montgomery mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "Gumarich's hill" in Norman French. 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 Montgomery (37.13 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 Montgomery?
Find out how many people are called Montgomery on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.