Montag History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Italy

From the ancient and picturesque Italian region of Venice emerged a variety of distinguished names, including the notable surname Montag. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. Italian hereditary surnames were developed according to fairly general principles and they are characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. Although the most traditional type of family name found in the region of Venice is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, local surnames are also found. Local names, which are the least frequent of the major types of surnames found in Italy, are derived from a place-name where the original bearer once resided or held land. Often Italian local surnames bore the prefix "di," which signifies emigration from one place to another, but does not necessarily denote nobility. The Montag family lived on a mountain or near a mountainous area. The name Montagna is derived from the Italian word montagna or montano, which means a mountain. Sometimes the name was used for someone who came from Montagna.

Early Origins of the Montag family

The surname Montag was first found in numerous regions, although Venice is the city of origin for both Montagna and Montan branches. Montana was widespread in Sicily, Montano and Montani in Liguria, Montanelli in Tuscany, and Montanari in Emilia Romagna. The name and its variants all stem from people who lived in or near mountainous regions.

Early History of the Montag family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Montag research. The years 1406, 1440, 1450, 1523, 1608, 1633 and 1687 are included under the topic Early Montag History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Montag Spelling Variations

Italian surnames come in far more variations than the names of most other nationalities. Regional traditions and dialects are a decisive factor in this characteristic. For example, northern names tend to end in "o", while southern in "i". Also important, but not unique to Italy, was the fact that before dictionaries and the printing press most scribes simply spelled words according to their sounds. The predictable result was an enormous number of spelling variations. The recorded spellings of Montag include Montagnano, Montagnini, Montagnoni, Montan, Montanari, Montanarini, Montanaro, Montanelli, Montani, Montano, Montana, Montagnino and many more.

Early Notables of the Montag family

Prominent among members of the family was

Bartolomeo Montagna (1450-1523), an Italian painter and architect who worked in Vicenza and Venice, and founder of the school of Vicenza, with works able to be seen today in the Metropolitan Museum in...
Giovanni Montagna of Verona, a captain against Bernabo Visconti and the first Montagna to enter the noble council in 1406, with descendents further maintaining the position until 1608
Bartholomeo Montagnana, a prominent doctor in 1440
Giacomo Montagnana and Marcantonio Montagnana, also doctors and the latter a teacher of surgery

Montag Ranking

In the United States, the name Montag is the 15,736^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Montag migration to the United States +

Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Montag or a variant listed above:

Montag Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Henrich Montag, who arrived in New York, NY in 1782 2

Montag Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Johannes Montag, who arrived in America in 1832 2
Joseph Montag, who landed in America in 1845 2
Joh Friedrich Karl Montag, who arrived in America in 1845 2
Franz Montag, who arrived in America in 1845 2
Karl Joseph Montag, who arrived in America in 1847 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Montag (post 1700) +

Mark S. Montag, American politician, Candidate in primary for Mayor of Murray, Utah, 1985 3
June B. Montag, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Jersey, 2000, 2004; Presidential Elector for New Jersey, 2000; Presidential Elector for New Jersey, 2000 3

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html