Qualle last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Qualle

A surname derived from a Middle Low German word meaning "pond" or "marshy area".

Qualle, 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 Qualle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Qualle in America

Qualle is the 142108th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Qualle surname appeared 117 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 Qualle.

We can also compare 2010 data for Qualle 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 142108 146011 -2.71%
Count 117 104 11.76%
Proportion per 100k 0.04 0.04 0.00%

The history of the last name 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'.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Qualle

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

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 Qualle was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 91.45% 107
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 5.98% 7

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 91.45% 93.27% -1.97%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Hispanic 5.98% 5.77% 3.57%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Qualle last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 13, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/qualle-surname-popularity/.

"Qualle last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/qualle-surname-popularity/. Accessed 13 October, 2024

Qualle last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/qualle-surname-popularity/.

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