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Question: Montez and not Montes!?
My married name is Montez!.!.!.his family comes from Mexico!.!.!.however, my father-in-law was in foster care & isn't in touch with any family members!. I would like some history of it for my children!. I can only find Montes and not Montez!. It is possible that it was changed, however we can't seem to locate when it was changed!. Someone once said that they believe Montez is European!. I have only found one Montez in Europe with my searching!. Where else do I look!? Anyone know any other history of Montez!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
http://www!.ancestry!.co!.uk/facts/Montez-f!.!.!.
Montez Name Meaning and History
1!. Portuguese (Montez, also Montes): topographic name for a mountain dweller, from "montes" ‘"of the mountain"’!.
2!. Spanish: from a variant of the adjective "montes", having the same meaning as 1!.
http://www!.surnamedb!.com/surname!.aspx!?na!.!.!.
Surname: Montez:
This surname is of Old French origin, but recorded throughout Northern Europe from the medieval period!. There are many spellings including the French Mont, Monte, and Dumont, the Spanish Montes and Montez, and the English Mount, Mounter, and Munt!. The earliest recordings are in England, this being the first country in Europe to have a central government and parliament!. The word was introduced into England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, but however spelled, and from whatever country, is a topographical name for someone who lived on or near a hill!. Topographical surnames were among the earliest created, since both natural and man-made features in the landscape provided easily recognizable names in the small communities of the Middle Ages!.
The surname dates back to the early 14th Century and early recordings include Richard le Monter in the Subsidy Rolls of the county of Somerset in 1327, and Alan atte Mount listed in the Close Rolls of London for 1334, and in Spain, the christening of Alonso de Montes, at Nuestra Senora de la Antigua, Valladolid, on March 8th 1598!. The coat of arms has the blazon of a silver field charged with five fusils in bend sinister, a canton in chief, with a gold lion rampant!. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard del Mount, which was dated 1301, in the Subsidy Rolls of the county of Yorkshire, England, during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307!. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling!.
http://www!.familysearch!.org also has these other varied spellings: MAUND; MONTIS; MONT; MIRAMONTES; DEL MONTE; MONTENEGRO; MONTES DE OCA; MONTERROSO; MONTERROSA; MONTET ; DEMONTET;
MONTEMAYOR; MONTESINOS; DE MANTES*, etc!.
The earliest listing I found had the last spelling*:
ADELA DE MANTES --Birth: abt 1020 , in Normandy, France!. Her father, DROGO COUNT OF MANTES AND VEXIN was born about 995 AD in Normandy!.
ANA MONTEZ got married on 01 JAN 1584 in Santa Cruz, Medina De Rioseco, Valladolid, Spain!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
the accurate way to find dad's family is to use records that are APPLICABLE to him and his immediate relatives!. Being a Hispanic name, of course it will come from Europe, but that might be hundreds of years back!. Please don't confuse yourself by trying to work a surname, which is a fairly common one, to begin with!. Thus!.!. everyone named Montez isn't necessarily going to be related!.
As for spelling!.!. "correct" spelling is a recent concept and not really critical!. If the records in Mexico show his father to be Juan Montes!.!.it still would be (not be) his father, despite spelling errors!.
Where to look is the location where dad was, or where he knows his parents to have been!. Even if he was in foster care!.!. it depends how old he was at the time!. In fact, if he was not adopted!.!. then the odds are good that his birth certificate is still accessible!.
Take a few minutes to stop at www!.rootsweb!.com, to see their tutorial on the research process!. Then start working to define exactly where dad was, and when!.!. to find the parents, and pick up the trail from that!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
There's plenty of Montez in the Caceres province of Spain, some in Valladolid and some in Orense!. Familysearch!.org shows some as early as 1584!.
If you look on a map, most of those places I mentioned above, are next to Portugal where the surname also appears!.
I recommend you have a look at: http://wc!.rootsweb!.ancestry!.com/cgi-bin/!.!.!. There was 732 Montez individuals when I look!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
It should be montes!.Www@QuestionHome@Com