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

Quintanilla, 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 Quintanilla surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Quintanilla in America

Quintanilla is the 1586th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Quintanilla surname appeared 22,581 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Quintanilla.

We can also compare 2010 data for Quintanilla 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 Quintanilla

The surname Quintanilla has its origins in Spain, with records indicating its presence as early as the 12th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "quinta," meaning a small farm or rural estate, and the diminutive suffix "-illa," denoting a small or diminished form. Thus, Quintanilla likely referred to a person associated with a small farm or estate.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a medieval manuscript from the 14th century that recorded information about landholdings and taxes in the region of Castile. The document mentions several individuals with the surname Quintanilla, indicating their presence in the area during that period.

The name has also been associated with various place names in Spain, such as Quintanilla de Arriba and Quintanilla de Abajo, suggesting that some individuals may have adopted the surname based on their place of origin or residence. Additionally, variations in spelling, such as Quintanilla and Quintanillas, have been documented over time.

Notable individuals with the surname Quintanilla include:

1. Diego de Quintanilla y Mendoza (1516-1591), a Spanish Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Calahorra y La Calzada from 1568 until his death.
2. Pedro de Quintanilla y Mendoza (1544-1612), a Spanish theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Salamanca and wrote extensively on metaphysics and logic.
3. Pedro Quintanilla (1870-1943), a Spanish politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Public Works in Spain during the early 20th century.
4. Carlos Quintanilla (1912-1982), a Mexican painter and sculptor known for his abstract and cubist works, as well as his contributions to the Mexican muralism movement.
5. Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (1971-1995), a renowned American singer-songwriter and fashion designer, often referred to as the "Queen of Tejano music," who tragically lost her life at the young age of 23.

While the surname Quintanilla has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including Latin America and the United States, due to migration and cultural influences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Quintanilla

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

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

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

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