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Montalvo Surname Meaning & Origin

What the Montalvo last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.

Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Montalvo coat of arms for you.

Meaning and origin of the Montalvo last name

Meaning of the Montalvo last name: white mountain. Montalvo is a Spanish surname for a family from places called Montalvo or Montealbo, from monte albo, "white mountain". The last name is found in Spain, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Curiously, Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo wrote Las sergas de Esplandián, the romance that gave California its name.

Arms associated with the Montalvo name

Coats of arms associated with the Montalvo surname follow Spanish heraldry, each set out in a short blazon.

Get your full Montalvo family history

This is only a glimpse of the Montalvo story. The full Montalvo history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Montalvo coat of arms. Get the full Montalvo report.

Montalvo name FAQ

What does the Montalvo name mean?

White mountain. Common variants include Montalbo.

Where does the Montalvo surname come from?

It originates in Spain, and is also found in Mexico, Argentina and the United States.

Is there a Montalvo coat of arms?

Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Montalvo coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.

Sources: Roberto Faure, María Asunción Ribes & Antonio García, Diccionario de apellidos españoles (Espasa, 2001); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).