Montoya
Montoya is a Basque and Spanish surname. It originally comes from a hamlet near Berantevilla in Álava, in the Basque region of northern Spain. During the Reconquista, it extended southwards throughout Castille and Andalusia. The name roughly translates to mean hills and valleys. It has become more frequent among Gitanos than among the general Spanish population.
Meaning & Origin of Montoya
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Montoya is a Basque and Spanish surname. It originally comes from a hamlet near Berantevilla in Álava, in the Basque region of northern Spain. During the Reconquista, it extended southwards throughout Castille and Andalusia. The name roughly translates to mean hills and valleys. It has become more frequent among Gitanos than among the general Spanish population.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Montoya
As a girl name
The earliest SSA record of Montoya as a girl name dates back to 1962, when 5 babies received it. 1991 was its biggest year on record, with 29 newborns named Montoya — #3,633 in the national rankings. About 44% of every Montoya on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. Montoya last appeared in the published SSA data in 2004, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 520 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1960s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
The earliest SSA record of Montoya as a boy name dates back to 1969, when 5 babies received it. 1978 was its biggest year on record, with 19 newborns named Montoya — #2,375 in the national rankings. About 66% of every Montoya on record arrived during the 1970s, its defining decade. Montoya last appeared in the published SSA data in 2008, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 119 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1960s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Montoya
Phonetically similar names — useful when Montoya is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Montoya
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About the name Montoya
Montoya is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1962 and has accumulated 520 births in the dataset. Montoya's peak popularity came in 1991 when it ranked #3,633. Use the chart and map above to compare Montoya's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1991 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "M" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.