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

Quinan, 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 Quinan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Quinan in America

Quinan is the 150452nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Quinan surname appeared 109 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Quinan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Quinan 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 Quinan

The surname Quinan originated in Ireland, likely emerging during the Middle Ages between the 5th and 15th centuries. It is believed to be an Anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Cionnáin, which translates to "descendant of Cionnan." Cionnan itself is derived from the Old Irish word "cion," meaning a tribute or payment.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the year 1357, a man named Muircheartach Ó Cionnáin is mentioned as a notable figure in the territory of what is now County Sligo.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Quinan began to appear in various historical records throughout Ireland, often spelled as Keenan, Keynon, or Kenan. In 1592, a man named Dermot Oge Quinan was noted as a landowner in County Galway.

The name Quinan has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. In the late 18th century, John Quinan (1737-1822) was a prominent Franciscan friar and writer from County Cork. He authored several works on Irish history and literature.

Another notable figure was Michael Quinan (1834-1907), a Irish-American businessman and politician from New York City. He served as a member of the New York State Assembly and was involved in various charitable organizations.

In the 20th century, John Joseph Quinan (1892-1979) was a respected Catholic priest and educator from Massachusetts. He served as the president of St. Anselm College in New Hampshire from 1944 to 1956.

The name Quinan has also been connected to various place names in Ireland, such as Quinanstown in County Carlow and Quinanabbey in County Sligo. These locations may have derived their names from early settlers or landowners with the surname.

While the origins of the name Quinan can be traced back to medieval Ireland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through Irish immigration to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Quinan

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!