2000
#118,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Qualkinbush
A locational surname derived from a place named after a person or family with an unknown name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Qualkinbush. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Qualkinbush 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Qualkinbush in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Qualkinbush, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Qualkinbush
The surname Qualkinbush has its origins traced back to the region of Friesland, located in the northern part of the Netherlands and northwestern Germany. The name is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the Old Frisian words "qualk" meaning "swamp" or "marsh," and "busch" meaning "bush" or "shrub."
The earliest known record of the Qualkinbush surname can be found in the Frisian town of Dokkum, where a certain Hannus van Qualkinbusch was mentioned in a land deed from the year 1387. This suggests that the name was already established in the area during the late 14th century.
Over the centuries, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Qualkenbusch, Qualkinbush, Qualkinbus, and Qualkinbos, reflecting the linguistic changes and regional dialects of the time. One notable individual bearing this surname was Pieter Qualkinbush, a merchant from Leeuwarden, who was recorded in the city's trade records in the year 1512.
In the 16th century, the name appears to have spread beyond the borders of Friesland, with records indicating the presence of Qualkinbush families in the neighboring regions of Groningen and Drenthe. A certain Gerrit Qualkinbush was mentioned in a court document from the city of Groningen in 1578, indicating the family's presence in the area during that time.
As the Dutch colonial empire expanded, some individuals with the Qualkinbush surname ventured to other parts of the world. In the 17th century, a man named Jacob Qualkinbush was recorded as a settler in the Dutch colony of Suriname, located in South America.
In the 18th century, the name found its way to North America, with records showing a Hans Qualkinbush arriving in the British colony of Pennsylvania in 1743. Another notable individual was Johannes Qualkinbush, born in 1712 in the town of Emden, who later migrated to the Dutch Cape Colony (present-day South Africa) and became a respected farmer and landowner.
Other individuals bearing the Qualkinbush surname throughout history include Dirk Qualkinbush, a renowned clockmaker from Leeuwarden in the late 17th century, and Trijntje Qualkinbush, a midwife who was active in the city of Groningen in the early 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Qualkinbush
Among Census respondents with the surname Qualkinbush, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Qualkinbush 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 Qualkinbush surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 105
- Two or more races6.8% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Qualkinbush
Qualkinbush 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
-11 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,639 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-6 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,918 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,954 | 135 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 16,639 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 7,918 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 Qualkinbush 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 | #135,593 | #143,511 | -5.8% |
| Count | 124 | 118 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Qualkinbush bearers went from 124 to 118 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 7,918 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #143,511.
FAQ
Qualkinbush surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Qualkinbush?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Qualkinbush. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Qualkinbush?
Qualkinbush ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 118 people with the surname Qualkinbush. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Qualkinbush.
Has Qualkinbush become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Qualkinbush went from 124 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Qualkinbush?
Among Census respondents with the surname Qualkinbush, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Qualkinbush in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Qualkinbush appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Two or More Races (6.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Qualkinbush (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 Qualkinbush mean?
A locational surname derived from a place named after a person or family with an unknown name. 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 Qualkinbush (0.04 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 common is the surname Qualkinbush?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Qualkinbush at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.