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Quincy History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Quincy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The Quincy surname is one of the many Norman names that came to Britain following 1066. The Quincy surname is generally thought to have come from Cuinchy in the Arrondissement of Béthune, Pays de Calais region of northern France; however there were several places in France such as Quincy-sous-Sénard in Seine-et-Oise or Quincy-Voisins in Seine-et-Marne.

Another reference states clearly that the name is "a baronial family from Quincé, Maine to the house of De Rohan, whose arms they bore. The mascles [(hollow diamond shapes)] were borne by the Dukes de Rohan." 1

These place names all derive from the Gallo-Roman personal name Quintus, meaning "fifth-born."

Early Origins of the Quincy family

The surname Quincy was first found in Northamptonshire, where the first of several to bear the name Saer de Quincy (Saer I) was Lord of the Manor of Long Buckby. Saer I was the second husband of Matilda of St Liz, stepdaughter of King David I of Scotland, and thus the family had holdings in Scotland from very early times. 2

This line produced Saer de Quincy (1170-1219), 1st Earl of Winchester. He was one of the leaders of the baronial rebellion against King John of England. He fought against King John after the Magna Carta was signed in 1215. While on the Fifth Crusade in 1219, he fell sick and died and was buried in Acre, the capital of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

"In the reign of the Second Henry, Saier de Quincy had a grant from the crown of the Manor of Bushley, co. Northampton, previously the property of Anselme de Conchis. Of his two sons, the elder, Robert, became a Soldier of the Cross, and the younger, Saier, was created Earl of Winchester by King John. He subsequently obtained large grants and immunities from the same monarch, but, nevertheless, when the Baronial War broke out, his Lordship's pennant waved on the side of freedom, and be became so eminent amongst his contemporaries that he was chosen one of the twenty-five Barons appointed to enforce the observance of Magna Charta." 3

"The name is in Holinshed's list of the followers of William the Conqueror." 4

Early rolls give us today a glimpse of the many spelling is use over the years. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had two entries with an early spelling: Robert de Quency, Essex; and Hawyse de Quency, Bedfordshire. 5 The aforementioned Saer de Quincy was listed in Oxford Rolls as a Knights Templar in 1153-1163. Henry Quenci was listed in Lincolnshire in early days. 6

Early History of the Quincy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Quincy research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1155, 1160, 1195, 1219, 1265, 1722, 1774, 1775, 1785 and 1859 are included under the topic Early Quincy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Quincy Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Quincy are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Quincy include Quincy, Quincey, de Quincey, Quince and others.

Early Notables of the Quincy family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Saer de Quincy (1155-1219), 1st Earl of Winchester, a prominent figure in both Scotland and England, who was one of the leaders of the baronial rebellion against King John of England that followed the...
Thomas de Quincey (1785-1859), was the English author of 'Confessions of an Opium Eater,' born at Greenheys, Manchester, 15 Aug. 1785. He was the fifth child of Thomas De Quincey, a merchant of reputa...

Quincy Ranking

In the United States, the name Quincy is the 14,504^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7

Quincy migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Quincy, or a variant listed above:

Quincy Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Col. Edmund Quincy I, (1602-1636), from Wigsthorp in Northumberland (of the Scottish Quinceys), arrived in Boston in 1633 aboard the ship "Griffin" progenitor of the prestigious Quincy family.
Mrs. Judith Quincy, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1633 aboard the ship "Griffin" wife of Edmund.
Col. Edmund Quincy II, (1628-1698), who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1633 aboard the ship "Griffin" with his father, 8

Quincy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Samuel Quincy, who arrived in Georgia in 1733 8
John Quincy, who arrived in America in 1760-1763 8
John Quincy, who settled in New England in 1761

Quincy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Quincy, who landed in New York, NY in 1856 8
R Quincy, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1860 8
W C Quincy, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1860 8

Quincy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Quincy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. James Quincy, aged 30 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Covenanter" departing 17th June 1847 from Cork, Ireland; the ship arrived on 9th August 1847 but he died on board 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Quincy (post 1700) +

Edmund Quincy (1703-1788), American son of Edmund Quincy (1681–1737)
Edmund Quincy (1602-1636), American who settled in the Mount Wollaston area of Quincy, Massachusetts around 1628
George Quincy, American composer and conductor of Choctaw heritage
Josiah Quincy (1859-1919), American politician from Massachusetts
Colonel John Quincy (1689-1767), American soldier, politician and member of the Quincy political family
Edmund Quincy (1808-1877), American diarist, lecturer, author, abolitionist, son of Josiah Quincy III
Edmund Quincy (1726-1782), American businessman and land developer, son of Edmund
Edmund Quincy (1681-1737), American colonist, Massachusetts Supreme Court judge, son of Edmund (1627–1698)
Edmund Quincy (1628-1698), American colonist, Massachusetts representative, son of Edmund (1602–1636)
Samuel Miller Quincy (1832-1887), American politician, the 28th mayor of New Orleans
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 93)