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The surname Quinlan

An Irish patronymic surname, carried by 10,302 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex Q545

Quinlan: #3,469 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#10Martinez#100Jimenez#1,000Archer#10,001Dubon Quinlan #3,469, 10,302 people Quinlan: #3,469 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#100Jimenez Quinlan #3,469, 10,302 people
Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Quinlan is more common than 97.9% of them.

Origin

Irish origin

From Irish Ó Caoinleáin, a reduced form of Ó Caoindealbháin (literally “descendant of Caoindealbhán”), a personal name from caoin (“delicate, refined”) + dealbh (“shape”) + -án. Also a shortened Anglicized form of Ó Conalláin (“descendant of Conallán”), a personal name representing a diminutive of Conall (compare Connell).

Quinlan is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 880 Irish surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 10,302 people named Quinlan in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 29,969 Americans. That is up 3.6% since 2000, when the Census counted 9,945.

#3,469
rank among US surnames
10,302
people in 2010
3.5
per 100,000 Americans
+3.6%
change since 2000 (was #3,306)
RankSurnamePeople1 in
#3,460Bagwell10,32429,906
#3,462Wicker10,32129,914
#3,463Liles10,31729,926
#3,464Fang10,31629,929
#3,466Maya10,31329,938
#3,467Ferry10,31229,940
#3,468Marvin10,31029,946

Who is named Quinlan

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

93% of people named Quinlan identified as white (not Hispanic), 3.0% as Hispanic or Latino (any race) and 1.7% as Black (not Hispanic).

  • White (not Hispanic) 93%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.0%
  • Black (not Hispanic) 1.7%
  • Two or more races 1.5%
  • Asian and Pacific Islander 0.8%
  • American Indian and Alaska Native 0.3%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Quinlans

3 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

  • Kathleen Quinlan
    American actress, born 1954
  • Maeve Quinlan
    American actress, born 1964
  • Karen Ann Quinlan
    American medical case (1954–1985)

Notable Quinlans come mostly from the United States (2) and Ireland (1).

Other Irish surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Quinlan come from?
From Irish Ó Caoinleáin, a reduced form of Ó Caoindealbháin (literally “descendant of Caoindealbhán”), a personal name from caoin (“delicate, refined”) + dealbh (“shape”) + -án. Also a shortened Anglicized form of Ó Conalláin (“descendant of Conallán”), a personal name representing a diminutive of…
How common is the surname Quinlan?
10,302 people in the United States had the surname Quinlan in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 29,969 Americans. It ranked 3,469th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Quinlan?
In the 2010 Census, 93% of people named Quinlan identified as white (not Hispanic), and 3.0% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).
Who is the most famous person named Quinlan?
Kathleen Quinlan, American actress, followed by Maeve Quinlan.
Where is the surname Quinlan most common?
Wikidata records people named Quinlan in the United States and Ireland.
What type of surname is Quinlan?
Quinlan is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Quinlan getting more or less common?
More common. 9,945 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 10,302 in 2010, up 3.6%.