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Quentin History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Quentin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Scotland

The Norman Conquest of England of 1066 added many new elements to the already vibrant culture. Among these were thousands of new names. The Quentin name is derived from St. Quinton, a third century missionary in Gaul. 1 Personal names derived from the names of saints, apostles, biblical figures, and missionaries are widespread in most European countries.

"A family of Quentin - the Quentins of Coupigny - still exists in Normandy. They came from Brittany, having expatriated themselves during the troublous times of Duchess Anne, and settled at Morigny, near Coutances, about 1450. Roger Quentin's claim to rank with the older nobility of the Duchy was recognized and confirmed in 1605 by the Cour des Aides of Rouen." 2

Harpham in the East Riding of Yorkshire was an ancient home for the family. "The church is the burial-place of the family of St. Quintin, whose founder came over with the Conqueror; their pedigree, from 1080 to 1777, showing an uninterrupted succession of twenty-eight generations in the male line, is beautifully represented in stained glass in the windows. On the western side of the churchyard are vestiges of the ancient family mansion and fish-ponds." 3

Early Origins of the Quentin family

The surname Quentin was first found in Cumberland where "the first trace of the name that I have met with is in the reign of Coeur de Lion, when Richard de Quintine was Abbot of Furness in Cumberland. But the notices of it soon become numerous, and appear in at least half a dozen counties. Richard Quintin held a knight's fee of the Earl of Hereford in Wiltshire." 2

So as to underscore the Norman heritage of this name we found: "Sir Herbert de St. Quintin, whose name appears on the Roll [of Battle Abbey], came from Lower Picardy, where the chief town is called St. Quintin." 4

Branches were later found in Essex and Dorset. Another branch of the family was found in the parish of Hornby in the North Riding of Yorkshire from ancient times.

"Hornby Castle, anciently the seat of the family of St. Quintin, and now belonging to his Grace the Duke of Leeds, is a spacious mansion in different styles of architecture, containing superb apartments, and commanding a fine view of the valley of Bedale." 3

Another early branch of the family was found at Lowthorp in the East Riding of Yorkshire. At one time an ancient hall there was held by the family but was taken down in 1826. 3

"Quentin became a somewhat popular personal name in Scotland, and has been immortalized by Walter Scott." 5

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had entries for: Richard Quintine, Wiltshire; John de St. Quintino, Wiltshire; Adam Quintin, Huntingdonshire; and Robert Quintyn, Norfolk. 5

Early History of the Quentin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Quentin research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1090, 1660, 1695, 1698 and 1723 are included under the topic Early Quentin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Quentin Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Quinton, Quinten, Quintin, Quintyne, St. Quinton and others.

Early Notables of the Quentin family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir William St. Quinton (ca. 1660-1723), English politician, born at Harpham in the East Riding of Yorkshire. He was the eldest son of William St. Quintin, who died in the lifetime of his father. "Having succeeded his...
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Quentin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Quentin Ranking

In France, the name Quentin is the 829^th most popular surname with an estimated 6,177 people with that name. 6

Quentin migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Quentin or a variant listed above were:

Quentin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Fritz Quentin, aged 23, who landed in New York, NY in 1860 7

Quentin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Quentin Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Nicolas Quentin, son of Louis and Marie, who married Madeleine Roulois, daughter of Michel and Jeanne, in Quebec on 3rd August 1660 8
Jean Quentin, who arrived in Montreal in 1662
Denys Quentin, son of Nicolas and Madeleine, who married Ursule Gaudin, daughter of Charles and Marie, in L'Ange-Gardien, Quebec on 24th January 1689 8

Quentin Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Louis Quentin, son of Nicolas and Madeleine, who married Marie Mathieu, daughter of Jean and Anne, in L'Ange-Gardien, Quebec on 17th January 1701 8
Charles Quentin, son of Nicolas and Madeleine, who married Marie-Madeleine Vésina, daughter of François-Clément and Marie, in L'Ange-Gardien, Quebec on 25th June 1703 8
Guillaume Quentin, son of Denis and Ursule, who married Madeleine Paradis, daughter of Pierre and Jeanne-Françoise, in Château-Richer, Quebec on 8th June 1716 8
Louis Quentin, son of Denis and Ursule, who married Hélène Goulet, daughter of Antoine and Madeleine, in L'Ange-Gardien, Quebec on 6th November 1719 8
Charles Quentin, son of Louis and Marie, who married Ursule Leclerc, daughter of Adrien and Ursule, in Saint-Pierre-de-l'île-d'Orléans, Quebec on 18th February 1743 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Quentin (post 1700) +

Carlos Josè Quentin (b. 1982), Mexican American outfielder
George Quentin (1848-1928), Indian-born English cricketer
Claude Quentin de La Chiche, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 9
Louis René Quentin (1759-1794), French journalist guillotined for his writings
Nicolas Quentin (d. 1636), French historical painter who lived at Dijon
Thérèse Quentin, French actress
Maurice Quentin (b. 1920), French professional road bicycle racer
Maurice Quentin (1704-1788), French Rococo portraitist
Léonce Gaston Quentin (b. 1880), French archer who competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics
Yvan Quentin (b. 1970), Swiss football player
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 25) Claude Quentin. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html