2000
#23,721
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 996
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.37
Rare Last name
Queener
A surname possibly indicating royal or queenly ancestry or status.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,094 Americans carry the last name Queener. That puts it at #26,876 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 313,304 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Queener 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
1.1K
1 in 313,304
Census rank
#26,876
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
954
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 954 bearers of the surname Queener in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 26876th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Queener, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Queener
The surname Queener originated in England during the early medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the Old English words "cwene" and "hyr," meaning "woman's meadow." This suggests that the name may have referred to a meadow or piece of land owned or inhabited by a woman.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Quenehyre." This entry likely refers to a place name or settlement that no longer exists. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form, Queener.
In the 13th century, records show a William Quener living in Wiltshire, England. A few centuries later, in 1598, a John Queener was born in Oxfordshire, England. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in the region.
During the 17th century, the name appeared in various parts of England, including Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. One notable Queener from this time was Robert Queener (1623-1688), a member of the clergy who served as the Rector of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.
As the British Empire expanded, the Queener name was carried to other parts of the world. In the 18th century, a William Queener (1732-1802) emigrated from England to Virginia, where he became a successful farmer and landowner. His descendants continued to use the Queener surname in the United States.
Another prominent figure with this surname was Sir Richard Queener (1795-1867), a British military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a member of Parliament. He was knighted for his service to the Crown.
In the 19th century, the Queener name was found in various professions, including artists, writers, and academics. One notable example is the American painter William Queener (1837-1912), whose works are featured in several museums across the United States.
Overall, the surname Queener has a rich history spanning multiple centuries and regions, with roots tracing back to early medieval England. Its evolution and dispersal across different parts of the world reflect the migration patterns and cultural influences that have shaped many family names throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Queener
Among Census respondents with the surname Queener, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Queener 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 Queener surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 795
- Black or African American10.0% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 28
- Two or more races2.2% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Queener
Queener 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
#23,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,058
+62 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Down 145 places
2020
#26,876
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 954
-104 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.32
Rank movement Down 3,010 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,721 | 996 | 0.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,866 | 1,058 | 0.36 | +62 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 145 places |
| 2020 | #26,876 | 954 | 0.32 | -104 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 3,010 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 Queener 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 | #23,866 | #26,876 | -12.6% |
| Count | 1,058 | 954 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.36 | 0.32 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Queener bearers went from 1,058 to 954 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 3,010 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,866 to #26,876.
FAQ
Queener surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Queener?
Name Census estimates that about 1,094 living Americans carry the surname Queener. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 313,304 residents.
How common is Queener?
Queener ranks #26,876 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.32 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 954 people with the surname Queener. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,094), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.32 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 Queener.
Has Queener become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Queener went from 1,058 recorded bearers to 954. That is a decrease of 104 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #23,866 to #26,876.
What does the Census say about the background of Queener?
Among Census respondents with the surname Queener, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Queener in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (795 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Queener appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Black (10.0%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Queener (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 Queener mean?
A surname possibly indicating royal or queenly ancestry or status. 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 Queener (0.32 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 last name Queener?
Find out how many people have the surname Queener on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.