Montague
A Norman-French surname from a place name meaning “pointed hill” or “sharp mountain.”
The #3,209 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 27,425 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Montague is generally understood as a habitational surname from Montaigu, a place name in Normandy and elsewhere in French-speaking Europe. The name comes from Old French mont, meaning “hill” or “mountain,” plus aigu, meaning “sharp” or “pointed,” ultimately from Latin mons and acutus. In plain English, the original sense is something like “the pointed hill.”
History
The name came into England with Norman families after the Conquest, and medieval records often show it as De Montagu or De Montague. It later lost the French preposition and became a hereditary English surname. The same name also appears in several English place names, which helped keep it visible in records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some English place names, such as Shepton Montague in Somerset, preserve the Montague family name in their form.
From the historical record
“nickname for Edmund. MONTAGUE. (Fr.) De Mont digue— from the sharp or steep mountain. MONTFORD. From the Latin "De Monte Forte," that is, from the strong or fortified hill or mountain. MONTGOMERY. A corruption of the Latin "Mons Gomeris," Gomer's mount. Gfomer, the son of Japhet, the hereditary name of the Gauls.”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names