NameCensus.

UK surname

Quant

A medieval English occupational surname derived from the Middle English word 'counte', meaning a banker or money lender.

In the 1881 census there were 136 people recorded with the Quant surname, ranking it #16,433 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 214, ranked #18,740, down from #16,433 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Exeter St David (including Castle Yard) and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Holland, Torbay and Havering.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Quant is 222 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 57.4%.

1881 census count

136

Ranked #16,433

Modern count

214

2016, ranked #18,740

Peak year

2014

222 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Quant had 136 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,433 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 214 in 2016, ranked #18,740.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 217 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Quant surname distribution map

The map shows where the Quant surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Quant surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Quant over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 106 #16,512
1861 historical 87 #22,681
1881 historical 136 #16,433
1891 historical 152 #18,163
1901 historical 186 #15,839
1911 historical 217 #14,214
1997 modern 209 #17,157
1998 modern 211 #17,532
1999 modern 212 #17,611
2000 modern 202 #18,094
2001 modern 202 #17,834
2002 modern 201 #18,236
2003 modern 196 #18,358
2004 modern 194 #18,566
2005 modern 201 #18,080
2006 modern 199 #18,357
2007 modern 203 #18,303
2008 modern 200 #18,640
2009 modern 204 #18,779
2010 modern 212 #18,726
2011 modern 207 #18,841
2012 modern 208 #18,720
2013 modern 212 #18,820
2014 modern 222 #18,355
2015 modern 217 #18,542
2016 modern 214 #18,740

Geography

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Where Quants are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Exeter St David (including Castle Yard), London parishes, Dartford and Silverton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Holland, Torbay, Havering, Exeter and Wolverhampton. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos) Glamorganshire
2 Exeter St David (including Castle Yard) Devon
3 London parishes London 1
4 Dartford Kent
5 Silverton Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Holland 002 South Holland
2 Torbay 017 Torbay
3 Havering 021 Havering
4 Exeter 002 Exeter
5 Wolverhampton 022 Wolverhampton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Quant

These lists show first names that appear often with the Quant surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Quant

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Quant, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Quant surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Quant household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Quant is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Quant is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Quant falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Quant is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Quant, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Quant

The surname Quant is of French origin and can be traced back to the 12th century in the regions of Normandy and Brittany. It is derived from the Old French word "quant," which means "how much" or "how many," suggesting that the name might have been a nickname for someone who frequently asked questions or was particularly inquisitive.

One of the earliest known records of the name Quant appears in the Rolls of Normandy, a collection of documents from the 12th and 13th centuries. In these rolls, a person named Robert Quant is mentioned as holding land in the village of Avranches in Normandy.

The Quant name can also be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. In this record, a person named Radulfus Quant is listed as a landowner in the county of Suffolk.

During the Middle Ages, the name Quant spread across various parts of Europe, including England, where it was often anglicized to "Quante" or "Quaunce." One notable bearer of this surname was Sir John Quant, a knight who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 during the Hundred Years' War between England and France.

In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Quant was Thomas Quant, a merchant and explorer who established trade routes between England and the Levant region (modern-day Turkey and the Middle East). He was born in Bristol, England, in 1525 and is believed to have died in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) in 1578.

Another prominent individual with the Quant surname was Sir Henry Quant, an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Hythe in Kent during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was born in 1555 and died in 1623.

In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the Quant name was Jean-René Quant, a French philosopher and writer who was born in Dijon in 1717. He is best known for his work "Essai sur les mœurs et l'esprit des nations" (Essay on the Manners and Spirit of Nations), published in 1756.

Moving into the 19th century, one notable figure with the Quant surname was Sir William Quant, a British military officer who served in the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny. He was born in 1824 and received numerous honors for his service, including the Order of the Bath and the Victoria Cross.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Quant families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Quant surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Devon leads with 52 Quants recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.42x.

County Total Index
Devon 52 18.42x
Lancashire 22 1.37x
Middlesex 16 1.18x
Gloucestershire 9 3.38x
Surrey 7 1.06x
Suffolk 6 3.63x
Glamorgan 5 2.12x
Lincolnshire 5 2.31x
Derbyshire 4 1.88x
Channel Islands 3 7.47x
Oxfordshire 3 3.58x
Berkshire 2 1.97x
Kent 2 0.43x
Hertfordshire 1 1.07x
Norfolk 1 0.48x
Worcestershire 1 0.56x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Newton in Lancashire leads with 11 Quants recorded in 1881 and an index of 88.71x.

Place Total Index
Newton 11 88.71x
Uffculme 8 952.38x
Exeter St Edmund 7 1147.54x
Godalming 7 168.27x
Silverton 7 1186.44x
Bradninch 6 750.00x
Broad Clist 6 618.56x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 6 193.55x
Little Bolton 6 29.00x
St Pancras London 6 5.50x
Barrowford Booth 5 280.90x
Foston 5 2941.18x
Templeton 5 7142.86x
Winchcomb 5 378.79x
Derby St Peter 4 59.17x
St John Near Swansea 4 136.99x
Westminster St 4 80.00x
Willand 4 2500.00x
Chelsea London 3 7.34x
Clifton 3 22.32x
Shiplake 3 1034.48x
St Helier 3 22.94x
Tiverton 3 61.73x
Cadeleigh 2 1818.18x
Reading St Mary 2 24.54x
Cardiff St John 1 12.97x
Downham Market 1 69.93x
Exeter St David 1 41.49x
Exeter St Martin 1 1111.11x
Hertford St John 1 71.94x
Kensington London 1 1.33x
Kings Norton 1 6.30x
Littleham 1 48.54x
Maidstone 1 7.26x
Plumstead 1 6.49x
St Andrew Holborn 1 21.74x
Westbury On Trym 1 11.10x
Whitechapel London 1 7.49x
Wolborough 1 28.01x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Quant surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Quant surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 11
Henry 9
John 6
Albert 3
Charles 3
James 3
Edgar 2
Edward 2
Fred 2
Frederick 2
George 2
Jno.R. 2
Robert 2
Samuel 2
Thomas 2
Alfred 1
Arthur 1
Cecil 1
Elisha 1
Ernest 1
Fredrick 1
Isaac 1
Jonas 1
Phillip 1
Richard 1
Robt.T. 1

FAQ

Quant surname: questions and answers

How common was the Quant surname in 1881?

In 1881, 136 people were recorded with the Quant surname. That placed it at #16,433 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Quant surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 214 in 2016. That gives Quant a modern rank of #18,740.

What does the Quant surname mean?

A medieval English occupational surname derived from the Middle English word 'counte', meaning a banker or money lender.

What does the Quant map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Quant bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.