Quast last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Quast

A German occupational surname referring to a person who made brushes or brooms from twigs or bristles.

Quast, 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 Quast surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Quast in America

Quast is the 13241st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Quast surname appeared 2,306 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Quast.

We can also compare 2010 data for Quast 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 13241 13045 1.49%
Count 2,306 2,154 6.82%
Proportion per 100k 0.78 0.80 -2.53%

The history of the last name Quast

The surname Quast has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Middle Low German word "quast," which means "tassel" or "cluster." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, referring to someone who worked with tassels or clusters, perhaps in the textile or decorative arts industry.

In the 17th century, the name Quast appeared in various historical records and documents across German-speaking regions, including in church registers and municipal records. One notable example is Johann Quast, a master baker who lived in Lübeck, Germany, in the late 16th century.

The Quast surname also has connections to place names in Germany. For instance, there is a village called Quast in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, which may have influenced the surname's development in that region.

As the centuries passed, the Quast name spread across Europe and beyond. One notable figure was Carl Quast, a German-American architect born in 1837 in Bamberg, Germany. He emigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century and designed several notable buildings in San Francisco, including the Old Mint and the Palace Hotel.

In the realm of literature, the German author and dramatist Johann Quast (1840-1906) is worth mentioning. He was born in Arnsberg, Westphalia, and is best known for his plays and novels depicting the lives of ordinary people in his native region.

Another notable individual with the Quast surname was Wilhelm Quast (1872-1924), a German painter and illustrator who worked in a variety of styles, including Impressionism and Expressionism. He was born in Düsseldorf and is known for his landscapes and portraits.

Moving into the 20th century, we have Günter Quast (1926-2005), a German actor and director who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout his career. He was born in Berlin and is remembered for his roles in productions such as "Die Brücke von Remagen" (1969) and "Die Patriotin" (1979).

These are just a few examples of individuals with the Quast surname who have left their mark on history. While its origins can be traced back to Germany and the meaning of "tassel" or "cluster," the name has since spread globally, with Quast families now found in various parts of the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Quast

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

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 Quast was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.36% 2,176
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.04% 24
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.95% 22
Hispanic Origin 2.60% 60

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.36% 96.56% -2.30%
Black 1.04% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 1.02% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 0.95% 0.79% 18.39%
Hispanic 2.60% 1.07% 83.38%

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Quast, 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!

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

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

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

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