2000
#33,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 636
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.24
Very Rare Last name
Quaglia
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word for "quail".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 703 Americans carry the last name Quaglia. That puts it at #38,825 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 487,560 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quaglia surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
703
1 in 487,560
Census rank
#38,825
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
613
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 613 bearers of the surname Quaglia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38825th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quaglia, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quaglia
The surname Quaglia originated in Italy, specifically in the regions of Piedmont and Lombardy. It's derived from the Italian word "quaglia," which means "quail," likely referring to someone who either hunted or kept these birds.
The earliest known record of the Quaglia surname dates back to the 13th century in the city of Alessandria, Piedmont. In a document from 1276, a certain Guglielmo Quaglia was mentioned as a landowner in the area.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in several historical records in the region of Lombardy. For instance, a certain Giovanni Quaglia was a prominent merchant in Milan in the year 1347, as recorded in the city's archives.
One of the earliest known individuals with the Quaglia surname was Giacomo Quaglia, a renowned painter from the city of Vercelli in Piedmont, who lived between 1480 and 1545. His works can still be found in various churches and museums across northern Italy.
Another notable figure was Giovanni Battista Quaglia, a military engineer and architect who lived from 1572 to 1644. He was involved in the construction of several fortifications and defensive structures in the Duchy of Milan.
In the 18th century, the Quaglia surname gained prominence in the field of music. Antonio Maria Quaglia (1688-1772) was a renowned Italian composer and violinist who worked in various courts across Europe, including those of the Elector of Bavaria and the King of Poland.
Tommaso Quaglia (1754-1828) was an Italian physician and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of botany and zoology. He published several works on the flora and fauna of Piedmont and Lombardy.
Lastly, Giuseppe Quaglia (1847-1924) was a prominent Italian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Italian Parliament and held various ministerial positions during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quaglia
Among Census respondents with the surname Quaglia, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Quaglia bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Quaglia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 546
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 42
- Two or more races2.6% · 16
- Black or African American0.8% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quaglia
Quaglia appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#35,993
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 623
-13 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 2,211 places
2020
#38,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 613
-10 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 2,832 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #33,782 | 636 | 0.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #35,993 | 623 | 0.21 | -13 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 2,211 places |
| 2020 | #38,825 | 613 | 0.21 | -10 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 2,832 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Quaglia surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #35,993 | #38,825 | -7.9% |
| Count | 623 | 613 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.21 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quaglia bearers went from 623 to 613 (-1.6% change). The surname moved down 2,832 positions in the national ranking, going from #35,993 to #38,825.
FAQ
Quaglia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quaglia?
Name Census estimates that about 703 living Americans carry the surname Quaglia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 487,560 residents.
How common is Quaglia?
Quaglia ranks #38,825 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 613 people with the surname Quaglia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (703), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Quaglia.
Has Quaglia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quaglia went from 623 recorded bearers to 613. That is a decrease of 10 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #35,993 to #38,825.
What does the Census say about the background of Quaglia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quaglia, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Quaglia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (546 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quaglia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Hispanic (6.9%), Two or More Races (2.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Quaglia (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Quaglia mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word for "quail". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Quaglia (0.21 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Quaglia?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.