2000
#14,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,842
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Quillin
Of English origin, referring to someone who worked spinning quills or weaving with quills.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,368 Americans carry the last name Quillin. That puts it at #13,983 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,744 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quillin 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
2.4K
1 in 144,744
Census rank
#13,983
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,065 bearers of the surname Quillin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13983rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quillin, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quillin
The surname Quillin has its origins in England, and it is believed to have emerged in the late 13th or early 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "cyll," which means a ravine or a small valley. The name was likely initially used as a descriptive term for someone who lived in or near a ravine or a small valley.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from the 14th and 15th centuries. One notable example is the mention of a John Quyllyn in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire in 1327. Additionally, the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379, where a Thomas Quillyn is listed.
The name Quillin has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded was Sir John Quillin, a prominent landowner and member of the gentry in Gloucestershire, England, who lived in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was William Quillin, a merchant and alderman in the city of London during the 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name Quillin gained prominence in the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances was that of Robert Quillin, who settled in Virginia in the 1630s. Another notable individual was Samuel Quillin, who served as a Captain in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
As the name spread across different regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Quillen, Quillan, and Quillian. One prominent individual with this variation was Frederic Quillen, an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Ohio in the late 19th century.
In more recent times, the name Quillin has been associated with several notable figures, including James Quillin, an American author and journalist born in 1887, and Marian Quillin, an American artist and sculptor who was active in the mid-20th century.
While the surname Quillin is not among the most common surnames, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and can be traced back to its origins in medieval England. The name has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including landowners, merchants, soldiers, and artists, and it continues to be a part of the cultural tapestry of several regions around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quillin
Among Census respondents with the surname Quillin, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Quillin 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 Quillin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 1,768
- Two or more races4.8% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 96
- Black or African American4.1% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quillin
Quillin 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
#17,605
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,596
-246 bearers (-13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Down 2,822 places
2020
#13,983
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,065
+469 bearers (+29.4%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 3,622 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,783 | 1,842 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,605 | 1,596 | 0.54 | -246 bearers (-13.4%) | Down 2,822 places |
| 2020 | #13,983 | 2,065 | 0.69 | +469 bearers (+29.4%) | Up 3,622 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 Quillin 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 | #17,605 | #13,983 | 20.6% |
| Count | 1,596 | 2,065 | 29.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.54 | 0.69 | 27.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quillin bearers went from 1,596 to 2,065 (+29.4% change). The surname moved up 3,622 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,605 to #13,983.
FAQ
Quillin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quillin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,368 living Americans carry the surname Quillin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,744 residents.
How common is Quillin?
Quillin ranks #13,983 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,065 people with the surname Quillin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,368), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Quillin.
Has Quillin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quillin went from 1,596 recorded bearers to 2,065. That is an increase of 469 (+29.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,605 to #13,983.
What does the Census say about the background of Quillin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quillin, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Quillin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (1,768 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quillin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.6%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Quillin (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 Quillin mean?
Of English origin, referring to someone who worked spinning quills or weaving with quills. 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 Quillin (0.69 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 Quillin?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.