Montiel
A Spanish surname from a place-name, probably referring to someone from Montiel in Spain.
The #2,896 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 24,947 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Montiel is a Spanish habitational surname, originally used for someone who came from a place called Montiel. The place-name is generally explained as coming from Latin monticellus or a related diminutive of mons, meaning "hill" or "little mountain." In that sense, the surname most likely began as a geographic label for a person from a hilly or elevated place.
History
Montiel is best known as a Spanish surname, and it spread widely through Spain and later to Latin America. The place-name Montiel is historically associated with Castile, which helped the surname travel through Spanish settlement and migration. Today it is most common in Spanish-speaking countries and among Hispanic communities in the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Montiel is also the name of a municipality in the Spanish province of Ciudad Real, giving the surname a clear geographic anchor.