Mount
A topographic surname for someone who lived by a hill or rising ground.
The #4,055 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 35,269 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Mount is a topographic surname, originally given to someone who lived by a hill, mound, or raised piece of ground. It comes through Middle English and Anglo-French from Latin mons, meaning “hill” or “mountain.” Historical forms show phrases like atte Mount, literally “at the mount,” which were later shortened to the surname Mount.
History
The name is well attested in medieval English records, where it appears in forms such as atte Mount. It is closely related to other surname forms like Munt and Mountain, which reflect the same basic idea of residence near a hill. In later centuries the surname remained established in England and also appears in North America.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Many English places called “The Mount” helped keep this surname in use as a straightforward location-based name.
From the historical record
“Comtes^e du Moncel. — Paris Directory. MOUNT (A.-Fr.-Lat.) Dweller at a Hill [M.E. mount, mont, Fr. mont, Lat. mons, mont-is, a hill] Alan atte Mo\mX.^Close Rolls,A.T>. 1338. MOUNTAN ■) (A,-Fr.-Lat. ) Dweller at a MOUNTAIN J Mountain [O.Fr. montaine”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)