Monte
A name meaning “of the hill” or “from the mountain,” often tied to places named Monte in Romance-speaking regions.
The #7,317 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 67,707 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Monte comes from the Romance word for “mountain” or “hill,” ultimately from Latin mons, montis. As a surname, it was often used for someone who came from a place called Monte or lived near a prominent hill. In medieval records it could also appear in Latinized forms such as de Monte, literally “of the mountain.”
History
This surname appears across several Romance-language areas, especially Italy, Spain, Portugal, and southern France, where it could arise independently from many different local places named Monte. In English records it is often found in Latinized medieval forms rather than as a native English surname. Related spellings and compounds such as De Monte, Del Monte, Monti, and Monteiro reflect the same broad place-name root.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root appears in many famous place names, from Monte Carlo to Monte Cassino.
From the historical record
“In mediaeval (Latin) documents the founder of the famous Norman castle at this place was called de Monte Alto. Cp. Mowat(t. MOLE (Eng.) i a nickname {a) from the animal [M.E. molle = L.Ger. mull]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)