Frequency: (592)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
1. English (County Durham): unexplained.
2. French: topographic name for a mountain dweller, from Old French mont ‘mountain’ (Latin mons, montis).
3. Walloon (Belgian French): habitational name from either of two places called Monty, from Late Latin montile ‘hill’: in Carneux, Liège province or in Corroy-le-Château, Namur province.
GIVEN NAMES: French 6%. Emile (3), Amedee, Chantelle, Francoise, Henri, Michel, Micheline, Ovila.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
Dictionary of American Family Names. Copyright © 2006 Patrick Hanks. All rights reserved.