2000
#20,693
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,188
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.44
Rare Last name
Quail
A surname derived from the English word for the small ground-dwelling bird.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,401 Americans carry the last name Quail. That puts it at #21,741 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 244,650 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quail 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Quail with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.4K
1 in 244,650
Census rank
#21,741
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,222 bearers of the surname Quail in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21741st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quail, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quail
The surname Quail is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is a toponymic name, derived from a place name associated with the quail bird. The name is thought to have evolved from the Old English word 'cwail,' which referred to the quail bird.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Quaile.' This suggests that the name was already in use in England before the Norman Conquest. Over time, various spellings emerged, such as Quayle, Quail, and Quaill.
The Quail surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, where records indicate the presence of families bearing this name as early as the 13th century. Some notable early bearers of the name include John Quayle, a landowner from Buckinghamshire who is mentioned in records from 1279.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Quail family settled in the village of Quainton, Buckinghamshire, which is believed to have derived its name from the same Old English word 'cwail.' This connection between the surname and the place name further reinforces the toponymic origins of the Quail name.
Among the notable historical figures with the surname Quail, one can mention Sir Robert Quail (1590-1662), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Buckinghamshire in the 17th century. Another prominent individual was William Quail (1784-1868), a Scottish-born Australian settler and explorer who played a significant role in the early exploration and settlement of the Swan River Colony in Western Australia.
Other notable individuals with the Quail surname include Thomas Quail (1752-1824), an English Quaker minister and author; Jeremiah Quail (1770-1853), an American politician and judge who served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives; and Sarah Quail (1811-1892), an American educator and pioneer in the field of deaf education.
Throughout its history, the Quail surname has maintained a strong presence in various regions of England, as well as in areas where English settlers migrated, such as North America and Australia. While the name's origins can be traced back to medieval England, its enduring legacy continues to be carried by families around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quail
Among Census respondents with the surname Quail, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Quail 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 Quail surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 1,046
- Black or African American6.5% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 43
- Two or more races2.5% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quail
Quail 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
#21,459
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,218
+30 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Down 766 places
2020
#21,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,222
+4 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Down 282 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,693 | 1,188 | 0.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,459 | 1,218 | 0.41 | +30 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 766 places |
| 2020 | #21,741 | 1,222 | 0.41 | +4 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 282 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 Quail 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 | #21,459 | #21,741 | -1.3% |
| Count | 1,218 | 1,222 | 0.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.41 | 0.41 | -0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quail bearers went from 1,218 to 1,222 (+0.3% change). The surname moved down 282 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,459 to #21,741.
FAQ
Quail surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quail?
Name Census estimates that about 1,401 living Americans carry the surname Quail. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 244,650 residents.
How common is Quail?
Quail ranks #21,741 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.41 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 1,222 people with the surname Quail. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,401), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.41 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 Quail.
Has Quail become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quail went from 1,218 recorded bearers to 1,222. That is an increase of 4 (+0.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #21,459 to #21,741.
What does the Census say about the background of Quail?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quail, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Quail in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (1,046 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quail appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.6%), Black (6.5%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Quail (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 Quail mean?
A surname derived from the English word for the small ground-dwelling bird. 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 Quail (0.41 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 share the surname Quail?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.