Quinlen
A masculine name derived from the Old Welsh name Quintilianus.
Name Census estimates that about 15 living Americans carry the first name Quinlen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Quinlen today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Quinlen births was 2005 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Quinlen. 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 Quinlen. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
15
~ 1 in 22,850,289 Americans
Peak year
2005
5 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2009 SSA rank
#13,994
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Quinlen: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Quinlen 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 Quinlen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15 | 0 | 15 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Quinlen
The name Quinlen is an anglicized variant of the Irish name Coinneach, which is derived from the Gaelic word "coinnigh," meaning "handsome" or "comely." The name's origins can be traced back to the early medieval period in Ireland, around the 5th to 6th century AD, when Gaelic was the predominant language spoken in the region.
Coinneach was a popular name among the Irish Celtic tribes and was often associated with warriors and kings. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Coinneach mac Ailpín, a 9th-century Scottish king who reigned from 858 to 862 AD. He was known for his military prowess and his efforts to unite the Scottish kingdoms under one rule.
Another notable figure with the name Quinlen was Coinneach Cearr (Anglicized as Kenneth Carr), a 16th-century Scottish Gaelic poet and bard who lived from approximately 1550 to 1610. He was renowned for his lyrical compositions and his contributions to the preservation of Scottish Gaelic culture.
In the 17th century, a man named Coinneach Odhar (Anglicized as Kenneth Oure) gained recognition as a skilled mathematician and astronomer. Born around 1620 in Scotland, he made significant contributions to the fields of navigation and cartography, publishing several works on these subjects.
Moving into the 19th century, Coinneach Ó Baoighill (Anglicized as Kenneth O'Boyle) was an Irish Catholic priest and scholar who lived from 1810 to 1887. He was known for his efforts in promoting Irish language and culture, as well as his advocacy for Irish independence from British rule.
Another prominent figure with the name Quinlen was Coinneach MacLeòid (Anglicized as Kenneth MacLeod), a Scottish Gaelic poet and songwriter who lived from 1871 to 1935. He was celebrated for his lyrical compositions, which often drew inspiration from the landscapes and culture of the Scottish Highlands.
While the name Quinlen has its roots in Irish and Scottish Gaelic traditions, it has since gained popularity worldwide as a variant spelling of the more common English name Kenneth. However, its historical connections to Celtic culture and the notable individuals who bore this name continue to endure, making it a name rich in heritage and significance.
People
Quinlen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Quinlen 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
Quinlen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Quinlen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 15 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Quinlen 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 22,850,289 US residents.
Is Quinlen a common name?
We classify Quinlen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 35.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Quinlen most popular?
The single biggest year for Quinlen was 2005, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Quinlen is about 19 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 Quinlen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Quinlen a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Quinlen 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 Quinlen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Quinlen 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 Quinlen 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 people have the name Quinlen?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.