2000
#6,668
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,671
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.73
Rare Last name
Quimby
Derived from a place name meaning "woman's estate" in Old English, likely referring to a family's historical residence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,234 Americans carry the last name Quimby. That puts it at #7,075 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 65,486 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quimby 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 Quimby with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 65,486
Census rank
#7,075
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,564 bearers of the surname Quimby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7075th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quimby, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quimby
Among Census respondents with the surname Quimby, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Quimby 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 Quimby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 3,982
- Two or more races4.6% · 208
- Black or African American3.4% · 153
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 149
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quimby
Quimby 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
#7,211
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,628
-43 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Down 543 places
2020
#7,075
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,564
-64 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Up 136 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,668 | 4,671 | 1.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,211 | 4,628 | 1.57 | -43 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 543 places |
| 2020 | #7,075 | 4,564 | 1.53 | -64 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 136 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 Quimby 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 | #7,211 | #7,075 | 1.9% |
| Count | 4,628 | 4,564 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.57 | 1.53 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quimby bearers went from 4,628 to 4,564 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 136 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,211 to #7,075.
FAQ
Quimby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quimby?
Name Census estimates that about 5,234 living Americans carry the surname Quimby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 65,486 residents.
How common is Quimby?
Quimby ranks #7,075 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.53 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 4,564 people with the surname Quimby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,234), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.53 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 Quimby.
Has Quimby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quimby went from 4,628 recorded bearers to 4,564. That is a decrease of 64 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,211 to #7,075.
What does the Census say about the background of Quimby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quimby, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (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 Quimby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (3,982 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quimby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Black (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 Quimby (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 Quimby mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "woman's estate" in Old English, likely referring to a family's historical residence. 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 Quimby (1.53 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 Quimby?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Quimby on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.