2000
#1,973
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,810
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.23
Uncommon Last name
Quigley
Of Irish origin, derived from Ó Coigligh, meaning "descendant of Coigleach" (an old Irish first name of uncertain meaning).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,846 Americans carry the last name Quigley. That puts it at #2,154 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,187 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quigley 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 Quigley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,187
Census rank
#2,154
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,435 bearers of the surname Quigley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2154th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quigley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quigley
The surname Quigley is an anglicized version of an old Irish Gaelic name. It originated in County Mayo, Ireland, in the 16th century. The name is derived from the Gaelic words "O'Coigligh," which translates to "descendant of Coigleach." Coigleach was a personal name meaning "valorous" or "warlike."
The earliest recorded instance of the name Quigley can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The name appears as "O'Coigligh" in reference to a chieftain in County Mayo during the 1500s.
In the Annals of Ulster, another important historical record, the name is spelled "O'Cuiglidh" in an entry from the year 1432. This variation suggests that the name may have had multiple spellings in its early history.
One of the earliest recorded Quigleys was Tadhg O'Coigligh, a 16th-century Irish poet and historian from County Mayo. His works provide valuable insights into the cultural and political landscape of Ireland during that time.
Another notable figure with the surname was Captain Patrick Quigley, an Irish soldier who fought in the Williamite War in Ireland between 1689 and 1691. He was born in County Mayo in the mid-17th century.
In the 18th century, a prominent Quigley was Reverend James Quigley, an Irish clergyman and author who was born in County Mayo in 1735. He wrote several works on theology and philosophy.
A famous bearer of the name in the 19th century was Martin Quigley, an Irish immigrant to the United States who was born in County Mayo in 1827. He became a successful businessman and philanthropist in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In more recent history, there was Dorothy Quigley, a Scottish writer and journalist who lived from 1915 to 1994. She was known for her novels and short stories that often explored themes of Scottish culture and identity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quigley
Among Census respondents with the surname Quigley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Quigley 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 Quigley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 14,728
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 576
- Two or more races3.4% · 558
- Black or African American2.1% · 351
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 152
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 70
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quigley
Quigley 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
#2,113
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,121
+311 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 5.80
Rank movement Down 140 places
2020
#2,154
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,435
-686 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 5.50
Rank movement Down 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,973 | 16,810 | 6.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,113 | 17,121 | 5.80 | +311 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 140 places |
| 2020 | #2,154 | 16,435 | 5.50 | -686 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 41 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 Quigley 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 | #2,113 | #2,154 | -1.9% |
| Count | 17,121 | 16,435 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 5.80 | 5.50 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quigley bearers went from 17,121 to 16,435 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,113 to #2,154.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Quigley
FAQ
Quigley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quigley?
Name Census estimates that about 18,846 living Americans carry the surname Quigley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,187 residents.
How common is Quigley?
Quigley ranks #2,154 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,435 people with the surname Quigley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,846), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Quigley.
Has Quigley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quigley went from 17,121 recorded bearers to 16,435. That is a decrease of 686 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,113 to #2,154.
What does the Census say about the background of Quigley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quigley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Quigley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (14,728 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quigley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Quigley (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 Quigley mean?
Of Irish origin, derived from Ó Coigligh, meaning "descendant of Coigleach" (an old Irish first name of uncertain meaning). 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 Quigley (5.50 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 Quigley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.