Here are the most common Black or African American last names beginning with Q in the United States.
Our list takes surnames from the 2010 census only if 50% or more holders declared that they were Black.
Of course, many African Americans have surnames that fall below this percentage. We simply use it as a cut-off for this list.
Details Behind The List
The U.S. census of 2010 included a question that asked if the person was Black or another ethnicity (or mix).
Our details include the black percentage in 2010 for each name. The census provides a percentage with two decimal points. We rounded it to a whole number.
We also checked the censuses of 1940 and 1910 for the number of people of each name who were documented as black.
This article uses the terms Black and African American interchangeably.
The public details from the 2010 census do not include nationality so our numbers cannot be exact. Take them as a guide.
Top Surnames Beginning With Q
In general, there are fewer American names that start with Q than with another letter. Usually, we list the top thirty surnames but we can’t with Q.
That’s because the U.S. Census doesn’t publish details for last names that have less than one hundred bearers. So, that restricts our list to twenty-six.
With that said, here are the black and African American surnames that have the highest number of entries in the 2010 U.S. census.
They are listed below in order of how common they are.
Quarles
The 2010 census had a total of 9,780 people with the last name Quarles.
About 51% identified as Black or African American.
In the 1940 U.S. census, 1,411 people named Quarles were documented as black.
In the 1900 U.S. census, 1,344 people of this name were documented as black.
Historic figures
Benjamin Quarles was born in 1904 in Boston. He graduated with an arts degree Shaw University in South Carolina. He wrote his doctorate on Frederick Douglass at Wisconsin-Madison.
Shaw spent twenty-one years as professor of history at Morgan State University.
It’s hard to overstate his influence on a generation of black historians. He played a huge role in giving African Americans their true place in the history of their country.
Quarterman
The 2010 census had a total of 1,642 people with the last name Quarterman.
About 68% identified as Black or African American.
In the 1940 U.S. census, 410 people named Quarterman were documented as black.
In the 1900 U.S. census, 291 people of this name were documented as black.
Historic figures
Lloyd Quarterman was born in 1918 in Philadelphia. He graduated from St Augustine’s College in North Carolina.
Quarterman worked on the Manhattan Project which developed nuclear weapons during WWII. His speciality was chemistry.
He was one of the few black employees on the top-secret project. Quarterman’s work was part of the Little Boy .construction, one of the uranium bombs built by the project
After the war, he worked for thirty years at the Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago. He worked on the first nuclear reactor for submarines.
While working, he gained his degree in science from Northwestern University. St Augustine’s awarded Quarterman an honorary doctorate in chemistry in 1971.
Quaye
The 2010 census had a total of 791 people with the last name Quaye.
About 93% identified as Black or African American.
In the 1940 U.S. census, one person named Quaye was documented as black. There were no black holders of the name in the 1900 U.S. census.
Quince
The 2010 census had a total of 593 people with the last name Quince.
About 66% identified as Black or African American.
In the 1940 U.S. census, 155 people named Quince were documented as black.
In the 1900 U.S. census, 73 people of this name were documented as black.
Historic figure
Peggy Quince was born in 1948 in Norfolk, Virginia. She attended segregated schools and went on to study at Howard University.
Quince studied law at the Catholic University of America and joined the Florida Attorney General’s Office.
Her appointment in 2008 as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida, she was only the second African American to take this position.
Quashie
The 2010 census had a total of 582 people with the last name Quashie.
About 93% identified as Black or African American.
In the 1940 U.S. census, 17 people named Quashie were documented as black. However, there were no black holders of the name in the 1900 U.S. census.
Quiller
The 2010 census had a total of 493 people with the last name Quiller.
About 79% identified as Black or African American.
In the 1940 U.S. census, 96 people named Quiller were documented as black.
In the 1900 U.S. census, 60 people of this name were documented as black.
Quartey
The 2010 census had a total of 457 people with the last name Quartey.
About 93% identified as Black or African American.
Nobody of this name was documented as black in the 1900 or 1940 censuses.
Quansah
The 2010 census had a total of 313 people with the last name Quansah.
About 96% identified as Black or African American.
Nobody of this name was documented as black in the 1900 or 1940 censuses.
Quarshie
The 2010 census had a total of 285 people with the last name Quarshie.
About 95% identified as Black or African American.
Nobody of this name was documented as black in the 1900 or 1940 censuses.
Quander
The 2010 census had a total of 264 people with the last name Quander.
About 84% identified as Black or African American.
In the 1940 U.S. census, 97 people named Quander were documented as black.
In the 1900 U.S. census, 82 people of this name were documented as black.
Quamina
The 2010 census had a total of 247 people with the last name Quamina.
About 87% identified as Black or African American.
In the 1940 U.S. census, 12 people named Quamina were documented as black. However, there were no black holders of the name in the 1900 U.S. census.
Quinnie
The 2010 census had a total of 227 people with the last name Quinnie.
About 95% identified as Black or African American.
15 people named Quinnie were documented as black in the 1900 U.S. census. But in 1940 there were no holders of the name documented as black.
Quintyne
The 2010 census had a total of 179 people with the last name Quintyne.
About 88% identified as Black or African American.
In the 1940 U.S. census, 26 people named Quintyne were documented as black.
In the 1900 U.S. census, one person of this name was documented as black.
Quash
The 2010 census had a total of 170 people with the last name Quash.
About 90% identified as Black or African American.
In the 1940 U.S. census, 29 people named Quash were documented as black.
In the 1900 U.S. census, 23 people of this name were documented as black.
Quickley
The 2010 census had a total of 166 people with the last name Quickley.
About 88% identified as Black or African American.
In the 1940 U.S. census, 58 people named Quickley were documented as black.
In the 1900 U.S. census, 64 people of this name were documented as black.
Quivers
The 2010 census had a total of 159 people with the last name Quivers.
About 73% identified as Black or African American.
In the 1940 U.S. census, 32 people named Quivers were documented as black. The 1900 U.S. census had the same number.
Quainoo
The 2010 census had a total of 155 people with the last name Quainoo.
About 88% identified as Black or African American.
Nobody of this name was documented as black in the 1900 or 1940 censuses.
Quiah
The 2010 census had a total of 151 people with the last name Quiah.
About 68% identified as Black or African American.
Nobody of this name was documented as black in the 1900 or 1940 censuses.
Quarrie
The 2010 census had a total of 131 people with the last name Quarrie.
About 57% identified as Black or African American.
One person named Quarrie was documented as black in the 1900 U.S. census. In 1940 there were no holders of the name documented as black.
Quarless
The 2010 census had a total of 130 people with the last name Quarless.
About 69% identified as Black or African American.
In the 1940 U.S. census, 12 people named Quarless were documented as black. However, there were no black holders of the name in the 1900 U.S. census.
Quicksey
The 2010 census had a total of 127 people with the last name Quicksey.
About 82% identified as Black or African American.
In the 1940 U.S. census, 37 people named Quicksey were documented as black. However, there were no black holders of the name in the 1900 U.S. census.
Quinerly
The 2010 census had a total of 126 people with the last name Quinerly.
About 85% identified as Black or African American.
In the 1940 U.S. census, 19 people named Quinerly were documented as black.
In the 1900 U.S. census, 14 people of this name were documented as black.
Quarcoo
The 2010 census had a total of 118 people with the last name Quarcoo.
About 96% identified as Black or African American.
Nobody of this name was documented as black in the 1900 or 1940 censuses.
Quetant
The 2010 census had a total of 110 people with the last name Quetant.
About 94% identified as Black or African American.
In the 1940 U.S. census, 16 people named Quetant were documented as black. However, there were no black holders of the name in the 1900 U.S. census.
Quillens
The 2010 census had a total of 107 people with the last name Quillens.
About 92% identified as Black or African American.
In the 1940 U.S. census, 18 people named Quillens were documented as black. However, there were no black holders of the name in the 1900 U.S. census.
