2000
#5,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,654
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.10
Rare Last name
Quiles
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin word "aquilex," meaning "water collector" or "conduit manager."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,137 Americans carry the last name Quiles. That puts it at #4,828 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,123 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quiles 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
8.1K
1 in 42,123
Census rank
#4,828
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,096 bearers of the surname Quiles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4828th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quiles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and Black (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quiles
The surname Quiles originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "aquila," meaning "eagle." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who lived near an area frequented by eagles or had a crest or emblem featuring an eagle.
Quiles is a Spanish toponymic surname, meaning it was originally derived from a place name. It is thought to have originated in the region of Valencia, where there are several towns and villages with names containing the word "Quiles," such as Quiles de Caudete and Quiles de Castellón.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Quiles can be found in the 15th-century census records of the Kingdom of Aragon. In 1492, a man named Juan Quiles was listed as a resident of the city of Valencia.
The surname Quiles has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Pedro Quiles, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who participated in the conquest of the Canary Islands in the late 15th century.
During the 16th century, a man named Francisco Quiles was a renowned artist and painter in Seville, known for his religious works and portraits of Spanish nobility.
In the 18th century, Tomás Quiles was a prominent Spanish military leader who fought in the War of the Spanish Succession. He later served as the governor of the Spanish colony of Puerto Rico.
In the 19th century, José Quiles was a renowned Spanish poet and playwright, best known for his romantic works and contributions to the development of Spanish literature.
Another noteworthy individual with the surname Quiles was María Quiles, a Spanish educator and feminist activist who fought for women's rights and educational reforms in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quiles
Among Census respondents with the surname Quiles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and Black (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Quiles 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 Quiles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.3% · 6,405
- White7.3% · 516
- Black or African American1.4% · 101
- Two or more races0.6% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quiles
Quiles 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
#5,107
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,858
+1,204 bearers (+21.3%)
Per 100,000 2.32
Rank movement Up 524 places
2020
#4,828
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,096
+238 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 2.37
Rank movement Up 279 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,631 | 5,654 | 2.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,107 | 6,858 | 2.32 | +1,204 bearers (+21.3%) | Up 524 places |
| 2020 | #4,828 | 7,096 | 2.37 | +238 bearers (+3.5%) | Up 279 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 Quiles 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 | #5,107 | #4,828 | 5.5% |
| Count | 6,858 | 7,096 | 3.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.32 | 2.37 | 2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quiles bearers went from 6,858 to 7,096 (+3.5% change). The surname moved up 279 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,107 to #4,828.
FAQ
Quiles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quiles?
Name Census estimates that about 8,137 living Americans carry the surname Quiles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,123 residents.
How common is Quiles?
Quiles ranks #4,828 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.37 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,096 people with the surname Quiles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,137), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.37 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Quiles.
Has Quiles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quiles went from 6,858 recorded bearers to 7,096. That is an increase of 238 (+3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,107 to #4,828.
What does the Census say about the background of Quiles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quiles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and Black (1.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Quiles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (6,405 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quiles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.3%), White (7.3%), Black (1.4%). 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 Quiles (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 Quiles mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin word "aquilex," meaning "water collector" or "conduit manager." 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 Quiles (2.37 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 common is the surname Quiles?
If you just want to know how many people are called Quiles, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.