Monroy
A Spanish surname probably tied to a place-name, with its exact derivation not securely established in the excerpted sources.
The #2,456 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 21,042 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Monroy is a Spanish surname that is most likely locational, referring to someone from a place called Monroy. In Iberian surname formation, such names often began as identifiers for people who came from a particular town or estate, and then became hereditary family names. The excerpted source lists Monroy among Spanish surnames but does not explain its literal root, so the deeper etymology remains uncertain here.
History
Monroy is found in Spanish-language surname lists and survives as a relatively uncommon surname in the modern United States. Because the provided excerpt is only an incidental mention, it does not show how the name spread or whether it was especially associated with a specific region. As with many Spanish locational surnames, it likely became hereditary through long use rather than from a single founder.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Monroy appears in a 19th-century list alongside many other Spanish surnames beginning with Mon- and Mont-.
From the historical record
“Miota, Miralpeix, Miralles, Miranda, Miyar, Moja- dos, Molina, Mon, Moneada, Monegro, Moneo, Mon- jardin, Moureal, Monroy, Monsó, Montalban, Mon- talvo, Montaos, Montcjo, Montemayor, Montenegro, Monterde, Montes, Monteserin, Monteverde, Mon- tiano, Montilla, Montojo, Montón, Montoto, Mon- zón, Mora, Moradillo…”
— Ensayo histórico etimológico filológico sobre los apellidos castellanos