Moctezuma
A Spanish-language surname ultimately taken from the famous Aztec ruler Motecuhzoma, meaning the family name traces back to a prestigious Indigenous personal name.
The #8,775 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 82,663 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Moctezuma is a Spanish form of the Nahuatl royal name Motecuhzoma (also spelled Moctezoma and similar variants). The name is commonly analyzed as meaning something like “he who is lordly in anger” or “one who is lord of the angry/resentful ones,” though exact interpretations vary because the original Nahuatl form has been rendered differently by scholars. As a surname, it is an inherited or adopted family name based on that historical personal name rather than a common noun.
History
The name is best known from the Aztec ruler Moctezuma II, who was encountered by the Spaniards in the early 16th century. As a surname, Moctezuma is found in Spanish-speaking communities, especially in Mexico, where it preserves an Indigenous prestige name that became part of colonial and modern naming practice. Spelling often varies between Moctezuma and Montezuma in historical and English-language usage.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The English spelling Montezuma became especially famous in the United States through place names, historical writing, and popular culture, even though Moctezuma is closer to the Spanish form.