2000
#17,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,466
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.54
Rare Last name
Quayle
A topographic surname referring to someone living near a quagmire or bog.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,641 Americans carry the last name Quayle. That puts it at #18,992 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 208,869 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quayle 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 Quayle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.6K
1 in 208,869
Census rank
#18,992
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,431 bearers of the surname Quayle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18992nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quayle, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quayle
The surname Quayle has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval era. It is believed to have originated from the Old English word "cwalu," which means "deadly" or "fatal." This likely referred to someone who lived near a dangerous place or had a formidable reputation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Quayle can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Quaile" in the county of Norfolk. This suggests that the name was already established in England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, the surname was often spelled as "Quaile" or "Quayle," with variations like "Quaille" and "Quayle" emerging later. These different spellings reflect the diversity of local dialects and pronunciation at the time.
The name Quayle is also associated with several place names in England, such as Quaylegate in Norfolk and Quayleland in Gloucestershire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
One notable figure with the surname Quayle was Sir John Quayle (1670-1758), a British politician and landowner from the Isle of Man. He served as the Governor of the Isle of Man from 1723 to 1755.
Another prominent individual was William Quayle (1857-1939), an American Methodist minister and author. He was born in Wigan, Lancashire, and later became a renowned preacher and writer, publishing several books on religious themes.
In the United States, Thomas Quayle (1755-1834) was a respected Quaker minister and abolitionist from Pennsylvania. He was actively involved in the anti-slavery movement and helped establish several Quaker communities.
Sir Dan Quayle (born 1947) is perhaps one of the most well-known individuals with this surname. He served as the 44th Vice President of the United States under President George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1993.
Finally, John Quayle (1857-1924) was a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel and the Midland Grand Hotel.
These examples illustrate the long history and diverse backgrounds associated with the surname Quayle, which has roots in medieval England and has been carried by individuals of various professions and accomplishments over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quayle
Among Census respondents with the surname Quayle, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Quayle 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 Quayle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 1,278
- Two or more races4.8% · 68
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 6
- Black or African American0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quayle
Quayle 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
#18,098
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,539
+73 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Down 446 places
2020
#18,992
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,431
-108 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Down 894 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,652 | 1,466 | 0.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,098 | 1,539 | 0.52 | +73 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 446 places |
| 2020 | #18,992 | 1,431 | 0.48 | -108 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 894 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 Quayle 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 | #18,098 | #18,992 | -4.9% |
| Count | 1,539 | 1,431 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.52 | 0.48 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quayle bearers went from 1,539 to 1,431 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 894 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,098 to #18,992.
FAQ
Quayle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quayle?
Name Census estimates that about 1,641 living Americans carry the surname Quayle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 208,869 residents.
How common is Quayle?
Quayle ranks #18,992 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.48 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 1,431 people with the surname Quayle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,641), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.48 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 Quayle.
Has Quayle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quayle went from 1,539 recorded bearers to 1,431. That is a decrease of 108 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #18,098 to #18,992.
What does the Census say about the background of Quayle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quayle, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Quayle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (1,278 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quayle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Quayle (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 Quayle mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone living near a quagmire or bog. 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 Quayle (0.48 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 are called Quayle?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Quayle is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.