2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Quiner
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic word 'cuinear' meaning "joiner" or woodworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Quiner. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quiner 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Quiner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quiner
The surname Quiner has its origins in England, and it is believed to have emerged sometime during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the Old English word "cwener," which means a maker or seller of quills or pens. This occupational surname was likely given to an individual who specialized in crafting quill pens from the feathers of birds, a common writing instrument used during that era.
One of the earliest known references to the Quiner surname can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, where a William le Quenner is mentioned. This document provides evidence of the name's early existence and its association with the quill-making profession.
In the 15th century, records from the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire list a Thomas Quenour in 1428, while the Feet of Fines for Essex from 1480 mentions a John Qwyner. These variations in spelling, such as Quenour and Qwyner, were common during that time period due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
Notable individuals with the surname Quiner throughout history include John Quiner, a merchant from London who was recorded in the Port Books of 1639. Another individual of note was Thomas Quiner, a yeoman farmer from Gloucestershire, who was mentioned in the Gloucestershire Wills & Administrations from 1671.
In the 18th century, a man named William Quiner served as a magistrate in the city of Bristol, England, and his name can be found in various legal documents from that period.
Moving into the 19th century, the Quiner surname gained prominence with the birth of George Quiner (1804-1877), a renowned English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Dramatic College and St. Stephen's Church in Hampstead.
Another notable figure was Sir Richard Quiner (1828-1901), a British industrialist and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of the textile industry in Lancashire. He was knighted in 1888 for his philanthropic efforts and his role in promoting industrial progress.
The surname Quiner has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Quiner's Farm in Hertfordshire and Quiner's Green in Surrey, suggesting the historical presence of families bearing this name in those regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quiner
Among Census respondents with the surname Quiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Quiner 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 Quiner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 113
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quiner
Quiner 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,379 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,461 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 9,379 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 5,461 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 Quiner 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 | #137,327 | #142,788 | -4.0% |
| Count | 122 | 119 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quiner bearers went from 122 to 119 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 5,461 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #142,788.
FAQ
Quiner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quiner?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Quiner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Quiner?
Quiner ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Quiner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Quiner.
Has Quiner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quiner went from 122 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Quiner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Quiner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quiner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Quiner (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 Quiner mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic word 'cuinear' meaning "joiner" or woodworker. 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 Quiner (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Quiner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.