Show ContentsQuintanilla History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

In Spain, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. The original bearer of the name Quintanilla, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful region of Spain. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. The name was originally borne by a person who lived on a shared piece of land and was obliged to pay one-fifth of the land's produce as rent which is derived from the Spanish word quintana, and the Latin word quintus, which means a fifth.

Early Origins of the Quintanilla family

The surname Quintanilla was first found in Castile, the medieval kingdom of the northern peninsula whose language and customs eventually spread to many countries of the world.

Early History of the Quintanilla family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Quintanilla research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1175, 1534, 1660, 1699, 1734, 1755, 1772, 1774 and 1857 are included under the topic Early Quintanilla History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Quintanilla Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Quintana, Quintanella, Quintanilla, Quintaniella, Quintano, Quinto, Quintero and many more.

Early Notables of the Quintanilla family

Notable bearers of the family name Quintanilla were Gonzalo de Quintana Ortuño, a thirteenth century nobleman from Burgos; Sancho de Quintaniella, a thirteenth century nobleman from Aguilar de la Frontera; Jerónimo de Quintana, seventeenth century Spanish writer; Juan de Quintana (died 1534), a Franciscan friar and confessor to...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Quintanilla Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Quintanilla Ranking

In the United States, the name Quintanilla is the 2,550th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 1


United States Quintanilla migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Quintanilla Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Diego Quintanilla, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1803 2
  • Pedro De Quintanilla, who arrived in America in 1813 2
  • R Quintanilla, aged 30, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1854 2
  • Francisco Quintanilla, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1881 2
  • Maria De Quintanilla, who landed in Peru in 1892 2
Quintanilla Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Maria Quintanilla, aged 25, who immigrated to the United States from Barcelona, Spain, in 1916
  • Luis Quintanilla, aged 19, who settled in America from Mexico City, Mexico, in 1919
  • Marcelino Quintanilla, aged 18, who landed in America from Anaz, Spain, in 1920
  • Benito Quintanilla, aged 25, who immigrated to the United States from Lierganes, Spain, in 1920
  • Soledad Quintanilla, aged 29, who immigrated to America from Anza, Spain, in 1920
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Quintanilla (post 1700) +

  • Abraham Issac Quintanilla Jr. (b. 1939), Mexican American singer-songwriter and record producer
  • Carl Quintanilla, Emmy-winning co-anchor of the CNBC network's "Squawk Box" morning program
  • Hector Quintanilla Jr. (1923-1998), United States Air Force (USAF) Lt Colonel
  • Abraham Isaac Quintanilla III (b. 1963), Mexican American musician and record producer
  • Omar Quintanilla (b. 1981), American Major League Baseball player
  • Selena Quintanilla (1971-1995), best known as Selena, was a Mexican American singer
  • John Quintanilla, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 2008 3
  • Humberto L. Quintanilla, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1972 3
  • Chente Quintanilla, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Texas State House of Representatives 75th District; Elected 2002; Elected unopposed 2004; Elected 2006, 2008; Elected unopposed 2010 3
  • Carlos Quintanilla, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for U.S. Representative from Texas 33rd District, 2012 3
  • ... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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