2000
#9,334
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,205
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.19
Rare Last name
Quinton
Derived from a place name meaning "queen's town" in Old English, likely referring to a settlement owned by a queen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,462 Americans carry the last name Quinton. That puts it at #10,167 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,005 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quinton 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 Quinton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 99,005
Census rank
#10,167
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,019 bearers of the surname Quinton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10167th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quinton, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.4%) and Black (6.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quinton
The surname Quinton is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "quintaine" which referred to a type of medieval jousting game or target practice. The name is believed to have arisen as a locational surname, referring to people who lived near a place where this game was played.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the late 12th century in various English counties, such as Gloucestershire, Shropshire, and Staffordshire. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Walter de Quintone, who is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1198.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a place called "Quintone" is mentioned, which is thought to be the origin of the surname. This place name is derived from the Old English words "cwin" meaning "queen" and "tun" meaning "village" or "settlement," suggesting that it may have been a royal or noble settlement.
The surname Quinton has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Quinton in Northamptonshire, Quinton in Gloucestershire, and Quinton in Warwickshire. These place names likely contributed to the spread and variations of the surname over time.
Notable individuals with the surname Quinton include:
1. Sir William Quinton (c. 1460-1523), an English merchant and Lord Mayor of London in 1508.
2. John Quinton (1555-1624), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the chaplain to King James I.
3. Mathew Quinton (1673-1735), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Ipswich.
4. Richard Quinton (1799-1878), an English artist known for his landscapes and portraits.
5. Edmund Quinton (1856-1925), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.
The surname Quinton continues to be found primarily in England, particularly in the West Midlands region, as well as in other parts of the United Kingdom and countries with historical British connections.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quinton
Among Census respondents with the surname Quinton, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.4%) and Black (6.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Quinton 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 Quinton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.7% · 2,316
- Two or more races6.4% · 193
- Black or African American6.3% · 191
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 186
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.5% · 105
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quinton
Quinton 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
#9,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,452
+247 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 87 places
2020
#10,167
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,019
-433 bearers (-12.5%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 746 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,334 | 3,205 | 1.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,421 | 3,452 | 1.17 | +247 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 87 places |
| 2020 | #10,167 | 3,019 | 1.01 | -433 bearers (-12.5%) | Down 746 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 Quinton 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 | #9,421 | #10,167 | -7.9% |
| Count | 3,452 | 3,019 | -12.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.01 | -13.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quinton bearers went from 3,452 to 3,019 (-12.5% change). The surname moved down 746 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,421 to #10,167.
FAQ
Quinton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quinton?
Name Census estimates that about 3,462 living Americans carry the surname Quinton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,005 residents.
How common is Quinton?
Quinton ranks #10,167 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,019 people with the surname Quinton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,462), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Quinton.
Has Quinton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quinton went from 3,452 recorded bearers to 3,019. That is a decrease of 433 (-12.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,421 to #10,167.
What does the Census say about the background of Quinton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quinton, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.4%) and Black (6.3%). 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 Quinton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.7% (2,316 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quinton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.7%), Two or More Races (6.4%), Black (6.3%). 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 Quinton (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 Quinton mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "queen's town" in Old English, likely referring to a settlement owned by a queen. 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 Quinton (1.01 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 share the surname Quinton?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.