2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Quas
A surname derived from the Latin word "quas," which means "like what" or "resembling what."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Quas. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quas 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Quas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quas, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quas
The surname QUAS is of German origin, with its earliest known roots dating back to the 13th century in the region now known as Bavaria. Derived from the Middle High German word "quasse," meaning a small bundle or bundle of twigs, the name was likely initially bestowed upon someone whose occupation involved working with bundles or bundles of wood or straw.
In the late 14th century, the QUAS surname appeared in records from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a "Johann Quas" was listed as a resident. This early mention suggests the name had already established itself in southern Germany by that time.
The QUAS name can also be found in historical documents from the nearby city of Nuremberg, where a "Konrad Quas" was recorded as a merchant in the year 1492. This provides evidence of the surname's presence in urban centers of the region during the late medieval period.
As the centuries progressed, various spelling variations of the name emerged, including Quass, Quaas, and Quasch, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings in those times. A notable bearer of the name was Hans Quaß (1492-1559), a German painter and engraver active in Nuremberg during the Renaissance.
In the 17th century, a "Georg Quas" was documented as a landowner in the village of Leipheim, near the city of Ulm, further highlighting the geographical spread of the surname within southern Germany.
Over time, individuals bearing the QUAS surname migrated to other parts of Europe and eventually to other continents, though the name retains its strongest historical roots in the German-speaking regions of Bavaria and its neighboring areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quas
Among Census respondents with the surname Quas, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Quas 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 Quas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quas
Quas 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+6 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,439 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-7 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,243 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 3,439 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 5,243 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 Quas 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 | #148,347 | #153,590 | -3.5% |
| Count | 111 | 104 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quas bearers went from 111 to 104 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 5,243 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #153,590.
FAQ
Quas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quas?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Quas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Quas?
Quas ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Quas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Quas.
Has Quas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quas went from 111 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Quas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quas, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Quas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Quas (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 Quas mean?
A surname derived from the Latin word "quas," which means "like what" or "resembling what." 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 Quas (0.03 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 Quas?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.