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

Questel, 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 Questel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Questel in America

Questel is the 96368th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Questel surname appeared 189 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Questel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Questel 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.

The history of the last name Questel

The surname Questel originates from the northern regions of France, likely emerging in the late 12th century or early 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "queste," meaning "quest" or "search," potentially signifying an ancestor's occupation or journey. Variations in spelling have included Questel, Questell, and Questelle.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Cartulaire de Saint-Père de Chartres, a medieval cartulary from the Abbey of Saint-Père in Chartres, France, dated around 1230. This document mentions a certain Renaud Questel, who was likely a landowner or tenant in the region.

In the 14th century, the Questel name appeared in several records from the Normandy region, including a reference to a Jean Questel in the Rôles de l'Échiquier de Normandie, a collection of legal records from the Exchequer of Normandy, dated 1380.

Notable individuals with the Questel surname include Étienne Questel (c. 1520-1592), a French sculptor and architect known for his work on the Château de Chenonceau and the Château d'Anet. Another notable figure was Pierre Questel (1598-1657), a French Jesuit missionary who traveled to Canada and worked among the Huron and Iroquois peoples.

In the 17th century, the name Questel can be found in records from the Pas-de-Calais region of northern France, including a mention of a Jacques Questel in the parish registers of Béthune in 1642. Additionally, the name appears in the Livre des bourgeois de Gand, a register of citizens in Ghent, Belgium, from the same period, suggesting the Questel family had established roots in the Low Countries.

One of the most prominent individuals with the Questel surname was François-Auguste Questel (1785-1838), a French architect and educator who served as the director of the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. His works include the Fontaine des Éléphants and the Église Saint-Vincent-de-Paul in Paris.

Another notable Questel was Antoine Questel (1834-1907), a French painter and illustrator renowned for his depictions of rural life and landscapes. His works were exhibited at the prestigious Paris Salon and can be found in various museums throughout France.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Questel

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

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 Questel was:

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Questel, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

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!