2000
#5,656
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,627
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.09
Rare Last name
Quillen
An Irish surname derived from Ó Cuileáin, meaning "descendant of Cuileán," a personal name meaning "handsome," "lovely," or "fine."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,993 Americans carry the last name Quillen. That puts it at #6,267 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,192 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quillen 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
6.0K
1 in 57,192
Census rank
#6,267
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,226 bearers of the surname Quillen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6267th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quillen, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quillen
The surname Quillen is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. The name is thought to derive from the Old English word "cwillen," which means "to kill" or "to slay." This suggests that the name may have been associated with a profession or occupation that involved hunting or warfare.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Quillen can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like record of landowners in England. The entry mentions a certain "Willelmus Quillen" living in Oxfordshire. Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 list a "Robert Quillen" residing in Worcestershire.
During the medieval period, the spelling of the name varied considerably, with variants such as Quillin, Quilliam, and Quillian appearing in various records. Some of these variations may have been influenced by the Norman French language, which was widely used in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
In the 16th century, the name Quillen appears to have been particularly prevalent in the counties of Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. One notable figure from this era was John Quillen, a cloth merchant who lived in the city of Worcester in the late 1500s.
Moving into the 17th and 18th centuries, the Quillen surname can be found in parish records and other historical documents across various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Staffordshire. A prominent individual bearing this name was William Quillen, a landowner and member of the gentry class who lived in Nottinghamshire during the late 1600s.
In the 19th century, the Quillen surname gained some prominence in the literary world with the birth of James Quillen (1851-1924), an acclaimed English poet and essayist. Another notable figure was Sir Edward Quillen (1829-1897), a British politician and member of parliament.
As the name spread beyond England, it also took root in other parts of the British Isles, such as Scotland and Ireland. One example is Robert Quillen (1887-1948), an American writer and newspaper columnist of Scottish descent, known for his witty observations on daily life.
Throughout its history, the Quillen surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, landowners, writers, and political figures. While the origins of the name remain shrouded in the mists of time, its enduring presence across centuries and cultures attests to its rich and varied heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quillen
Among Census respondents with the surname Quillen, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Quillen 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 Quillen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 4,594
- Two or more races4.1% · 213
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 208
- Black or African American2.9% · 152
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quillen
Quillen 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
#5,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,989
+362 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 2.03
Rank movement Down 127 places
2020
#6,267
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,226
-763 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 1.75
Rank movement Down 484 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,656 | 5,627 | 2.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,783 | 5,989 | 2.03 | +362 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 127 places |
| 2020 | #6,267 | 5,226 | 1.75 | -763 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 484 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 Quillen 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 | #5,783 | #6,267 | -8.4% |
| Count | 5,989 | 5,226 | -12.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.03 | 1.75 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quillen bearers went from 5,989 to 5,226 (-12.7% change). The surname moved down 484 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,783 to #6,267.
FAQ
Quillen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quillen?
Name Census estimates that about 5,993 living Americans carry the surname Quillen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,192 residents.
How common is Quillen?
Quillen ranks #6,267 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.75 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 5,226 people with the surname Quillen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,993), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.75 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 Quillen.
Has Quillen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quillen went from 5,989 recorded bearers to 5,226. That is a decrease of 763 (-12.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,783 to #6,267.
What does the Census say about the background of Quillen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quillen, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Quillen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (4,594 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quillen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Quillen (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 Quillen mean?
An Irish surname derived from Ó Cuileáin, meaning "descendant of Cuileán," a personal name meaning "handsome," "lovely," or "fine." 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 Quillen (1.75 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 share the surname Quillen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.