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

Quain, 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 Quain surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Quain in America

Quain is the 43651st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Quain surname appeared 494 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 Quain.

We can also compare 2010 data for Quain 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.

The history of the last name Quain

The surname Quain originated in Ireland, specifically in the province of Munster. It is believed to have derived from the old Irish Gaelic word "cuain," which means "harbor" or "creek." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near a harbor or coastal area.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Quain can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of Irish history compiled in the 17th century. It mentions a Diarmaid Ua Cuain, who was a notable Irish chieftain in the 11th century.

In the 12th century, the name Quain appeared in the Pipe Rolls of County Cork, which were administrative records of the English government in Ireland. This suggests that the name was well-established in the region by this time.

Over the centuries, the name Quain has been spelled in various ways, including Quin, Quinn, and Quyn. Some of these variations may have been influenced by the anglicization of Irish names during the English conquest of Ireland.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Quain was John Quain, who was born in County Cork in the late 16th century. He was a prominent landowner and played a role in the Irish Rebellion of 1641.

In the 18th century, Richard Quain (1739-1824) was a notable Irish judge and politician who served as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer in Ireland.

Another notable bearer of the name was Sir John Quain (1836-1876), a British physician and surgeon who made significant contributions to the field of medicine. He was born in County Meath, Ireland, and served as the President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

In the 19th century, Sir Richard Quain (1800-1887) was a prominent British physician and author who wrote several influential medical texts. He was born in County Cavan, Ireland, and served as the President of the Royal College of Physicians.

Another notable figure with the surname Quain was Sir John Richard Quain (1816-1876), a British physician and surgeon who made important contributions to the field of neurology. He was the son of Sir Richard Quain and was born in London.

While the surname Quain has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly to areas with significant Irish immigration, such as the United States and the United Kingdom.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Quain

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

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 Quain was:

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 Quain has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Quain was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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