2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Quartermaine
A British habitational surname derived from a location named for a residence near an ancient Roman road.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Quartermaine. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quartermaine 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Quartermaine with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Quartermaine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quartermaine, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (7.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quartermaine
The surname Quartermaine has its origins in the ancient regions of Normandy, France. It is a locational name derived from the Old French words "quartier" meaning quarter or fourth part, and "maine" meaning manor or estate. This suggests the name originated from an individual who lived on or owned a quarter of a particular manor or estate.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This seminal document contains references to individuals bearing variations of the name, such as Quartermaine and Quartremaine, residing in various parts of Normandy.
During the Middle Ages, the Quartermaine family established itself as a prominent noble house in Normandy. Notable figures from this period include Sir William Quartermaine (1256-1321), a renowned knight who fought alongside King Edward I in the Scottish Wars of Independence, and Lady Isabelle Quartermaine (1307-1387), who was renowned for her patronage of the arts and literature.
As the Quartermaine name spread across Europe, it took on various spellings and forms. In England, the name is often found as Quartermain or Quatermain, while in Scotland it is sometimes rendered as Quartermane or Quatermane.
One of the most famous bearers of the name was Sir Richard Quatermain (1532-1597), an English explorer and adventurer who is believed to have been one of the first Europeans to set foot in present-day South Africa. His travels and exploits were documented in several contemporary accounts and served as inspiration for the fictional character Allan Quatermain, created by writer H. Rider Haggard in his popular adventure novels.
Another notable individual was Sir John Quartermaine (1677-1748), a British military officer and Member of Parliament who played a significant role in the Jacobite Risings of the early 18th century.
In more recent times, the name Quartermaine has been borne by individuals such as Sir Arthur Quartermaine (1838-1912), a prominent British industrialist and philanthropist, and Sir Michael Quartermaine (1919-2005), a distinguished diplomat and former British ambassador to several countries.
Throughout its history, the surname Quartermaine has maintained a strong association with nobility, exploration, and military service, reflecting the varied and illustrious backgrounds of those who have carried this distinctive name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quartermaine
Among Census respondents with the surname Quartermaine, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (7.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Quartermaine 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 Quartermaine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.8% · 91
- Black or African American7.9% · 9
- Two or more races7.9% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.4% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quartermaine
Quartermaine appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+6 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,037 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.6%) | Up 5,037 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 Quartermaine 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 | #151,532 | #146,495 | 3.3% |
| Count | 108 | 114 | 5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quartermaine bearers went from 108 to 114 (+5.6% change). The surname moved up 5,037 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #146,495.
FAQ
Quartermaine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quartermaine?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Quartermaine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Quartermaine?
Quartermaine ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Quartermaine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Quartermaine.
Has Quartermaine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quartermaine went from 108 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 6 (+5.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Quartermaine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quartermaine, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (7.9%). 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 Quartermaine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.8% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quartermaine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.8%), Black (7.9%), Two or More Races (7.9%). 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 Quartermaine (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 Quartermaine mean?
A British habitational surname derived from a location named for a residence near an ancient Roman road. 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 Quartermaine (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 have the surname Quartermaine?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.