2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Qualle
A surname derived from a Middle Low German word meaning "pond" or "marshy area".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Qualle. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Qualle 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Qualle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Qualle, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Qualle
The surname Qualle originated in England during the late medieval period, derived from the Old English word 'cwealm', meaning 'death' or 'plague'. It was likely initially applied as a nickname to someone associated with a devastating disease outbreak or as a grim descriptor of someone's appearance.
One of the earliest known references to the name is found in the Cartularium Monasterii de Rameseia, a medieval manuscript compiled in the 12th century, which mentions a 'Radulfus Qualle' in an entry dated 1166. This suggests the surname was already in use by that time.
In the 13th century, the Hundred Rolls of 1273 recorded a 'Willelmus Qualle' in Huntingdonshire, providing further evidence of the name's early origins. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 also listed a 'Johannes Qualle' in Somerset.
During the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as 'Qwalle', 'Qwaylle', and 'Quayle', reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time. The Pipe Rolls of 1349 mention a 'Robertus Qwalle' in Lincolnshire.
In the 15th century, the name was associated with several notable individuals, including John Qualle (c.1420-1498), a prominent merchant and alderman in the City of London, and Robert Qualle (c.1455-1521), a renowned scholar and theologian at Oxford University.
The 16th century saw the emergence of several Qualle families in various parts of England, including the Qualles of Northamptonshire, where a Richard Qualle (1534-1602) was recorded as a landowner and local magistrate.
Other notable individuals with the surname include William Qualle (1570-1641), a member of the Virginia Company and one of the early settlers in the British colony of Virginia, and Elizabeth Qualle (1625-1690), a Quaker activist and writer who advocated for religious tolerance and women's rights.
By the 17th century, variations such as 'Quaile' and 'Quayle' had become more common, possibly influenced by the migration of families from the Isle of Man, where the name was also present and sometimes spelled 'Quayle'.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Qualle
Among Census respondents with the surname Qualle, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Qualle 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 Qualle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Qualle
Qualle 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+13 bearers (+12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,903 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-6 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,557 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.5%) | Up 3,903 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 6,557 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 Qualle 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 | #142,108 | #148,665 | -4.6% |
| Count | 117 | 111 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Qualle bearers went from 117 to 111 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 6,557 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #148,665.
FAQ
Qualle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Qualle?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Qualle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Qualle?
Qualle ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Qualle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Qualle.
Has Qualle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Qualle went from 117 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Qualle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Qualle, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Qualle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Qualle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Qualle (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 Qualle mean?
A surname derived from a Middle Low German word meaning "pond" or "marshy area". 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 Qualle (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 many people share the surname Qualle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.