2000
#20,041
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,238
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.46
Rare Last name
Quinney
A variant spelling of the surname Quinney, derived from the Middle English personal name Quenild.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,439 Americans carry the last name Quinney. That puts it at #21,262 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 238,189 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quinney 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 Quinney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.4K
1 in 238,189
Census rank
#21,262
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,255 bearers of the surname Quinney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21262nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quinney, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.1%. The next largest groups are Black (35.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quinney
The surname QUINNEY is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. It is believed to have originated in the county of Hertfordshire, specifically in the town of Quinbury, derived from the Old English words "cwin" meaning a queen or a woman, and "bury" meaning a fortified town or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded references to the surname QUINNEY can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Hertfordshire, dated around 1190, where a certain Richard de Quinbury is mentioned as a landowner in the region. This suggests that the name was already well-established during the late 12th century.
Another notable historical reference is in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a John de Quinnebury is listed among the villagers of Quinbury, providing further evidence of the surname's prevalence in the area.
In the 14th century, during the reign of Edward III, a William Quinney is recorded as having participated in the Battle of Crécy in 1346, a pivotal engagement in the Hundred Years' War between England and France.
Over the centuries, the surname has seen various spellings, including Quinbury, Quynbury, Quynnebury, and Quinnebury, before eventually settling into its modern form of QUINNEY.
One notable figure bearing this surname was Thomas Quinney (1590-1665), an English Puritan clergyman and author, who served as the rector of Ridgewell in Essex during the 17th century.
Another prominent individual was Sir John Quinney (1655-1723), a successful merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1708 and played a significant role in the expansion of trade with the American colonies.
In the 19th century, John Quinney (1814-1892) gained recognition as a pioneering horticulturist and nurseryman, credited with developing several new varieties of fruit trees and roses in his nurseries near Nottingham.
The name QUINNEY has also been associated with literary figures, such as the English poet and playwright Edward Quinney (1828-1903), whose works often explored themes of rural life and nature.
Finally, a more recent figure was William Quinney (1906-1988), a renowned British architect who designed notable structures like the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon and the University of East Anglia campus.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quinney
Among Census respondents with the surname Quinney, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.1%. The next largest groups are Black (35.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Quinney 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 Quinney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.1% · 704
- Black or African American35.0% · 439
- Two or more races4.3% · 54
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quinney
Quinney 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
#18,778
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,460
+222 bearers (+17.9%)
Per 100,000 0.49
Rank movement Up 1,263 places
2020
#21,262
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,255
-205 bearers (-14.0%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Down 2,484 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,041 | 1,238 | 0.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,778 | 1,460 | 0.49 | +222 bearers (+17.9%) | Up 1,263 places |
| 2020 | #21,262 | 1,255 | 0.42 | -205 bearers (-14.0%) | Down 2,484 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 Quinney 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 | #18,778 | #21,262 | -13.2% |
| Count | 1,460 | 1,255 | -14.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.49 | 0.42 | -14.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quinney bearers went from 1,460 to 1,255 (-14.0% change). The surname moved down 2,484 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,778 to #21,262.
FAQ
Quinney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quinney?
Name Census estimates that about 1,439 living Americans carry the surname Quinney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 238,189 residents.
How common is Quinney?
Quinney ranks #21,262 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.42 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 1,255 people with the surname Quinney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,439), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.42 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 Quinney.
Has Quinney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quinney went from 1,460 recorded bearers to 1,255. That is a decrease of 205 (-14.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #18,778 to #21,262.
What does the Census say about the background of Quinney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quinney, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.1%. The next largest groups are Black (35.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Quinney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.1% (704 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quinney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.1%), Black (35.0%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Quinney (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 Quinney mean?
A variant spelling of the surname Quinney, derived from the Middle English personal name Quenild. 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 Quinney (0.42 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 Quinney?
See how many people are called Quinney on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.