Show ContentsQuiller Surname History

In ancient France the name Quiller was first used in the region of Auvergne. It was a name for someone who lived in the departments of Cantal and Puy-de-Dôme; the place-name survives in the name of the department of Aveyron, located just to the south of the historic province of Auvergne.

Early Origins of the Quiller family

The surname Quiller was first found in Auvergne, a historic province in south central France where the family has held a family seat since early times.

Early History of the Quiller family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Quiller research. Another 184 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1220, 1500, 1563, 1669 and 1758 are included under the topic Early Quiller History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Quiller Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous spelling alterations depending on the region and time it was used. The early development of the French language relied heavily on borrowing elements and grammar from other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Quiller is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Queuille, Queuilles, Queuile, Queuiles, Queille, Queilles, Queile, Queiles, Queuil, Queuils, Queil, Queils, Ceuil, Ceuils, Ceuile, Ceuiles, Ceuille, Ceuilles, de Queuille, la Queuille and many more.

Early Notables of the Quiller family

More information is included under the topic Early Quiller Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Quiller migration to the United States +

France was active as a cultural leader in the early 16th century. One particular area in which they lead was the exploration of the New World. The explorers, like Jacques Cartier in 1534, led the way to North America. Champlain, in 1608, made the first of twenty voyages to France to attract settlers and brought the first migrant in 1617. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec, and the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Quiller has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Quiller were

Quiller Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Quiller, who landed in New York, NY in 1832 1
  • Christ Elis Quiller, who arrived in America in 1842 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Quiller (post 1700) +

  • Richard Quiller Couch (1816-1863), Cornish naturalist, eldest son of Jonathan Couch, born at Polperro on 14 March 1816 2
  • John Quiller Rowett (1876-1924), British businessman and philanthropist, the sole financial backer for his schoolfriend Shackleton on his final Antarctic voyage named the Shackleton-Rowett Expedition


  1. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  2. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020


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