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

Quimby, 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 Quimby surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Quimby in America

Quimby is the 7211th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Quimby surname appeared 4,628 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Quimby.

We can also compare 2010 data for Quimby 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 Quimby

The surname Quimby is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place called Quenby or Quineborough in Leicestershire, England. The name Quenby is thought to be derived from the Old English words "cwene" meaning queen and "byri" meaning a fortified place or town, suggesting that the area may have once been associated with a queen or royal estate.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Queneburge." This entry refers to a settlement in Leicestershire, providing evidence of the name's long-standing presence in the region.

During the 13th century, the name appears in various forms such as "Quenebi," "Queneby," and "Queneburgh" in historical records and documents related to Leicestershire and neighboring counties.

Notable individuals bearing the Quimby surname include:

1. Phineas Parkhurst Quimby (1802-1866), an American philosopher and the founder of the "New Thought" movement, which influenced the development of modern-day spirituality and self-help philosophies.

2. John Quimby (c. 1594-1670), an early settler in Ipswich, Massachusetts, who arrived in the American colonies around 1635 and played a role in the establishment of the town.

3. Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910), the founder of the Christian Science movement, was influenced by the teachings of Phineas Parkhurst Quimby and studied with him for a time.

4. Harriet Quimby (1875-1912), an early American aviator and the first woman to earn a pilot's license in the United States. She tragically died in a plane crash in 1912.

5. Edith Kingdon Gould Quimby (1878-1962), an American socialite and philanthropist who was a prominent figure in New York City's high society in the early 20th century.

The name Quimby has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Quenby Hall in Leicestershire and Quenby Priory, a former monastery in the same county. These place names further reinforce the locational origins of the surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Quimby

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

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

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

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