2000
#2,102
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,849
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.88
Uncommon Last name
Quintanilla
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Quintanilla in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,177 Americans carry the last name Quintanilla. That puts it at #1,466 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,612 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quintanilla 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
27K
1 in 12,612
Census rank
#1,466
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,700 bearers of the surname Quintanilla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1466th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quintanilla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quintanilla
Among Census respondents with the surname Quintanilla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Quintanilla 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 Quintanilla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.2% · 21,860
- White4.5% · 1,074
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 476
- Two or more races0.7% · 155
- Black or African American0.4% · 103
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quintanilla
Quintanilla 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
#1,586
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,581
+6,732 bearers (+42.5%)
Per 100,000 7.66
Rank movement Up 516 places
2020
#1,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,700
+1,119 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 7.93
Rank movement Up 120 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,102 | 15,849 | 5.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,586 | 22,581 | 7.66 | +6,732 bearers (+42.5%) | Up 516 places |
| 2020 | #1,466 | 23,700 | 7.93 | +1,119 bearers (+5.0%) | Up 120 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 Quintanilla 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 | #1,586 | #1,466 | 7.6% |
| Count | 22,581 | 23,700 | 5.0% |
| Per 100K | 7.66 | 7.93 | 3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quintanilla bearers went from 22,581 to 23,700 (+5.0% change). The surname moved up 120 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,586 to #1,466.
FAQ
Quintanilla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quintanilla?
Name Census estimates that about 27,177 living Americans carry the surname Quintanilla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,612 residents.
How common is Quintanilla?
Quintanilla ranks #1,466 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,700 people with the surname Quintanilla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,177), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Quintanilla.
Has Quintanilla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quintanilla went from 22,581 recorded bearers to 23,700. That is an increase of 1,119 (+5.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,586 to #1,466.
What does the Census say about the background of Quintanilla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quintanilla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Quintanilla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (21,860 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quintanilla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.2%), White (4.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Quintanilla (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 Quintanilla mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Quintanilla in Spain. 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 Quintanilla (7.93 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 people have the surname Quintanilla?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.