2000
#27,475
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 826
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.31
Very Rare Last name
Quinley
An English surname derived from a place name, possibly of Old Norman French origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 912 Americans carry the last name Quinley. That puts it at #31,239 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 375,827 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quinley 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
912
1 in 375,827
Census rank
#31,239
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
795
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 795 bearers of the surname Quinley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 31239th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quinley, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Black (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quinley
The surname QUINLEY is of English origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the county of Lincolnshire, where the name was derived from the Old English words "cwin" and "leah," meaning "queen's meadow" or "clearing."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name QUINLEY can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry refers to a landowner named Quindleus, whose name is thought to be an early variation of QUINLEY.
During the 13th century, the name QUINLEY appeared in various historical records and documents, often associated with villages and hamlets in Lincolnshire. For instance, a manor called "Quinley" is mentioned in the Cartulary of Bardney Abbey, dated around 1230.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the name QUINLEY was Sir John Quinley, a knight who fought alongside Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. He was born around 1315 and died in battle in 1356.
Another prominent individual was Elizabeth Quinley, a wealthy landowner from Lincolnshire who lived in the 15th century. She is mentioned in the court records of Henry VI's reign, where she was involved in a legal dispute over property rights.
During the 16th century, the surname QUINLEY began to spread beyond Lincolnshire, with records indicating families with this name in neighboring counties like Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire. One notable example is Thomas Quinley, a merchant from York who was born in 1542 and became a prominent figure in the city's trade guilds.
In the 17th century, the name QUINLEY gained further recognition with the birth of John Quinley, a renowned English philosopher and theologian. Born in 1623 in Lincolnshire, he studied at Cambridge University and later became a respected author, publishing several influential works on ethics and religion.
Throughout the centuries, the surname QUINLEY has undergone various spelling variations, including Quinly, Quineley, and Quinlie, reflecting regional dialects and variations in record-keeping practices. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained rooted in its English heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quinley
Among Census respondents with the surname Quinley, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Black (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Quinley 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 Quinley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 688
- Two or more races5.9% · 47
- Black or African American3.6% · 29
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quinley
Quinley 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
#30,222
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 775
-51 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Down 2,747 places
2020
#31,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 795
+20 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 1,017 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,475 | 826 | 0.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #30,222 | 775 | 0.26 | -51 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 2,747 places |
| 2020 | #31,239 | 795 | 0.27 | +20 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 1,017 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 Quinley 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 | #30,222 | #31,239 | -3.4% |
| Count | 775 | 795 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.26 | 0.27 | 2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quinley bearers went from 775 to 795 (+2.6% change). The surname moved down 1,017 positions in the national ranking, going from #30,222 to #31,239.
FAQ
Quinley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quinley?
Name Census estimates that about 912 living Americans carry the surname Quinley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 375,827 residents.
How common is Quinley?
Quinley ranks #31,239 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 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 795 people with the surname Quinley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (912), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 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 Quinley.
Has Quinley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quinley went from 775 recorded bearers to 795. That is an increase of 20 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #30,222 to #31,239.
What does the Census say about the background of Quinley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quinley, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Black (3.6%). 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 Quinley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (688 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quinley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Two or More Races (5.9%), Black (3.6%). 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 Quinley (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 Quinley mean?
An English surname derived from a place name, possibly of Old Norman French origin. 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 Quinley (0.27 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 Quinley?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Quinley at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.