Quannah
An Indigenous word meaning "fragrant" or "sweet smelling flower".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Quannah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Quannah today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Quannah births was 1978 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Quannah. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Quannah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1978
5 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
1978 SSA rank
#10,961
Tracked since 1978
Census
Quannah in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 108 people with the first name Quannah, which placed it at #52,273 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#52,273
National first-name rank
People counted
108
108 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
American Indian and Alaska Native
43.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quannah
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Quannah is American Indian/Alaska Native at 43.5%. The next largest groups are White (29.6%) and Black (13.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Quannah described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Quannah at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- American Indian and Alaska Native43.5% · 47
- White29.6% · 32
- Black or African American13.9% · 15
- Two or more races9.3% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
Popularity
Quannah: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Quannah by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Quannah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0 | 5 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Quannah
The name Quannah is believed to have originated from the Comanche language, an indigenous language spoken by the Comanche people of the Great Plains region of North America. It is thought to have been derived from the Comanche word "kwena," which means "fragrant" or "sweet-smelling."
Historically, the Comanche people were a nomadic Native American tribe known for their prowess as skilled horsemen and warriors. They roamed across the Great Plains, primarily in areas that are now parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, and New Mexico, from the 18th to the 19th century.
While the exact origins and earliest recorded use of the name Quannah are uncertain, it is believed to have been in use among the Comanche people for centuries. The name may have been given to children in recognition of their perceived sweetness or pleasant demeanor.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Quannah was Quannah Parker, also known as Quanah Parker (c. 1845-1911). He was a renowned Comanche leader and the last prominent chief of the Comanche nation. Parker played a significant role in negotiating the final surrender of the Comanche people to the United States government in 1875, marking the end of the Red River War.
Another historical figure with the name Quannah was Quannah Alaquah (c. 1850-1892), a Comanche warrior and medicine man. He was known for his bravery in battles against the United States Army and his involvement in the Red River War.
Quannah Chingali (c. 1835-1905) was a Comanche chief who led his band in various conflicts against the United States Army and other Native American tribes. He was eventually forced to surrender and settle on the Kiowa-Comanche-Apache Reservation in Oklahoma.
Quannah Caddo (c. 1840-1920) was a Comanche warrior and scout who served as a guide for the United States Army during the Indian Wars. He participated in various campaigns and battles against other Native American tribes.
Quannah Mucksee (c. 1830-1905) was a respected Comanche leader and medicine man. He played a significant role in preserving Comanche traditions and cultural practices, and was known for his skills in traditional healing and spiritual guidance.
These historical figures bearing the name Quannah serve as a testament to the rich cultural heritage and resilience of the Comanche people, and the enduring legacy of their traditions and naming practices.
People
Quannah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Quannah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Q
Other first names starting with Q with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Quannah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Quannah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Quannah going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Quannah a common name?
We classify Quannah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Quannah most popular?
The single biggest year for Quannah was 1978, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Quannah is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Quannah in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 108 people with the name Quannah, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #52,273 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Quannah in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Quannah?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Quannah on both sides of the split. Of the 104 people counted with this name, 36 were male (34.6%) and 68 were female (65.4%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Quannah?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Quannah is American Indian/Alaska Native at 43.5%. The next largest groups are White (29.6%) and Black (13.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Quannah most often in the Census?
American Indian/Alaska Native is the largest reported group for people named Quannah in the 2020 Census, accounting for 43.5% (47 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Quannah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Quannah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Quannah in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Quannah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Quannah in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Quannah can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Quannah?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.