Quaal last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Quaal is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Quaal.

Meaning of Quaal

Dutch surname derived from a nickname for a lively or talkative person.

Quaal, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Quaal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Quaal in America

Quaal is the 134712th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Quaal surname appeared 125 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Quaal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Quaal to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 134712 122534 9.47%
Count 125 130 -3.92%
Proportion per 100k 0.04 0.05 -22.22%

The history of the last name Quaal

The surname Quaal is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "qualen," meaning "to suffer" or "to torment." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who endured significant hardship or persecution.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Quaal can be found in the Thuringian Chronicles, a collection of historical documents dating back to the 12th century. These chronicles mention a knight named Konrad Quaal, who participated in the Crusades and fought bravely in the Battle of Hattin in 1187.

In the 14th century, the Quaal surname appeared in the town records of Augsburg, a city in southern Germany. These records indicate that a family named Quaal owned a successful tannery business and played a prominent role in the local economy.

During the Renaissance, a notable figure bearing the name Quaal was Hans Quaal, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1545 to 1615. His intricate woodcuts and engravings depicting biblical scenes and landscapes were highly regarded in his time.

In the 17th century, the Quaal surname gained recognition in the Netherlands, where a Dutch merchant named Pieter Quaal (1620-1688) established a thriving trading company that exported goods throughout Europe and the Americas.

Another significant figure with the Quaal surname was Johann Quaal, a German philosopher and theologian who lived from 1732 to 1804. He was a prominent figure in the Enlightenment movement and wrote extensively on the subjects of ethics, reason, and the nature of the human mind.

As the name spread across Europe, various spellings emerged, such as Quale, Quahle, and Quaale. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and linguistic traditions.

While the Quaal surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, carried by immigrants and their descendants. The name's historical significance lies in its connection to the hardships faced by its early bearers and their resilience in overcoming adversity.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Quaal

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Quaal.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Quaal was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 93.60% 117
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 4.00% 5
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Quaal has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 93.60% 97.69% -4.28%
Black 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Two or More Races 4.00% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic (S)% 0.00% (S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Quaal was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Quaal, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Quaal last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 13, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/quaal-surname-popularity/.

"Quaal last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/quaal-surname-popularity/. Accessed 13 October, 2024

Quaal last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/quaal-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.