Quill
A feather or pen from the wing of a bird or fowl.
Name Census estimates that about 402 living Americans carry the first name Quill. It is a predominantly male name (94.8% of registrations). The average person named Quill today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Quill births was 2019 (69 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Quill. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Quill with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
402
~ 1 in 852,623 Americans
Peak year
2019
69 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,136
Tracked since 2013
Gender
Gender distribution for Quill
Quill leans heavily male at 94.8% of total registrations, but 21 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Quill as a male name
- Ranked #3,136 in 2024
- 39 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2019 (63 births)
Quill as a female name
- Ranked #17,034 in 2023
- 5 female births in 2023
- Peak: 2019 (6 births)
Popularity
Quill: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Quill from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 221 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Quill 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 Quill during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Quills live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, Arizona, Michigan recorded the most babies named Quill, while Utah, Pennsylvania, Missouri recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Quill
The name Quill has its origins in the Latin word "quillus," which means "reed" or "hollow plant stem." This name likely emerged during the Middle Ages, when quills from birds like geese and swans were commonly used for writing and calligraphy.
In medieval Europe, scribes and scholarly monks who meticulously transcribed manuscripts and religious texts would have used quill pens for their work. As such, the name Quill may have been associated with these literate professionals or those involved in the production of books and documents.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Quill dates back to the 14th century. In 1397, a man named Quill Roberdeau was listed in the records of the town of Châlons-en-Champagne, France.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Quill. In the 16th century, Quill Gervais was a French poet and playwright who lived from 1522 to 1585. His works were influential during the Renaissance period.
In the 18th century, Quill Roberts was a Welsh explorer and navigator who was born in 1709 and died in 1784. He is known for his expeditions to the South Pacific and his contributions to the mapping of the region.
During the American Revolutionary War, Quill Wicker was a soldier in the Continental Army who fought against the British. He was born in 1756 and died in 1822, after witnessing the birth of the United States as an independent nation.
In the 19th century, Quill Hawkins was an English author and journalist who lived from 1818 to 1892. He wrote several novels and short stories that were popular in his time.
Quill Baxter was a Scottish inventor and engineer who was born in 1832 and died in 1913. He is credited with developing several innovative designs for steam engines and other industrial machinery.
While the name Quill may have fallen out of widespread use in modern times, its historical associations with writing, literature, and intellectual pursuits have left a lasting impact on its meaning and significance.
People
Quill + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Quill 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
Quill: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Quill?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 402 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Quill 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 852,623 US residents.
Is Quill a common name?
We classify Quill as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 405 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Quill most popular?
The single biggest year for Quill was 2019, when 69 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Quill is about 6 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Quill in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Quill a male name?
Yes, 94.8% of people registered as Quill in the SSA data are male. 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 Quill still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Quill 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 Quill 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Quill?
See how many people have the name Quill on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.