Frequency: (453)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
Italian: topographic name for someone who lived on or near a mountain or mountains, Italian montagna, from Late Latin montanea, originally the neuter plural of an adjective derivative of mons (see Monte 1), or a habitational name from one of the many places named with this word.
GIVEN NAMES: Italian 16%. Angelo (3), Sal (3), Gaetano (2), Alessandro, Antonino, Attilio, Carlo, Carmelo, Cosmo, Dino, Enrico, Oreste.
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.
