Quance last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Quance

An English surname derived from the Norman French "quancer," meaning quarrelsome or argumentative.

Quance, 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 Quance surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Quance in America

Quance is the 80131st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Quance surname appeared 237 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 Quance.

We can also compare 2010 data for Quance 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 80131 69201 14.64%
Count 237 265 -11.16%
Proportion per 100k 0.08 0.10 -22.22%

The history of the last name Quance

The surname Quance originated in England during the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "quans," which meant "when" or "at what time." This word root suggests that the name may have been given to someone who was frequently tardy or unpunctual.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Quance can be found in the Hertfordshire county records of 1273, which mention a John Quance. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a William Quance is listed.

In the 14th century, the Quance family was primarily concentrated in the southern counties of England, particularly Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. During this time, variations in spelling were common, and the name was sometimes written as Quanse, Quanse, or Quaunce.

The Quance surname is not found in the Domesday Book, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. However, it is possible that ancestors of the Quance family were present in England at that time but were recorded under a different name or spelling.

One notable figure bearing the Quance name was Sir Robert Quance (1565-1642), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the City of London. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1622 and played a significant role in the city's affairs during the tumultuous years leading up to the English Civil War.

Another person of historical significance was Elizabeth Quance (1680-1757), a renowned Quaker minister and writer from Wiltshire. She traveled extensively throughout England and the American colonies, preaching and advocating for religious tolerance and social reform.

In the 18th century, the Quance family had established a presence in the town of Quance Green, located in the county of Staffordshire. This place name likely derived from the surname, suggesting that the family had been landowners in the area for generations.

Other notable individuals with the Quance surname include:

  1. Thomas Quance (1790-1859), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a respected author and historian.

  2. Mary Quance (1825-1901), an American educator and philanthropist who founded several schools for underprivileged children in New York City.

  3. James Quance (1865-1932), a Scottish inventor and engineer known for his contributions to the development of early internal combustion engines.

  4. Evelyn Quance (1904-1983), a British actress and playwright who gained recognition for her role in the 1938 film "The Citadel."

  5. William Quance (1920-2005), a Canadian artist and sculptor renowned for his abstract expressionist works and public installations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Quance

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

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 Quance was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 97.05% 230
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.00% 0
Hispanic Origin 2.95% 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 Quance has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 97.05% 98.87% -1.86%
Black 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 2.95% (S)% (S)%

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

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

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"Quance last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 12, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/quance-surname-popularity/.

"Quance last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/quance-surname-popularity/. Accessed 12 October, 2024

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

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