Explore the Family Name Quigley

The meaning of Quigley

Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Coigligh ‘descendant of Coigleach’, a byname apparently representing a simplified form of coigealach ‘like a distaff, untidy person’. Some characteristic forenames: Irish Brendan, Declan, Eamonn, Cathal, Clancy, Colm, Fionnuala, James Patrick, John Patrick, Kiera, Kieran.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Quigley in the United States?

Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Quigley saw a slight increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Quigley was ranked as the 1973rd most popular surname, but by 2010 it had shifted down to 2113th place, marking a 7.1% decrease in rank. However, the actual count of people with the Quigley surname increased by approximately 1.85%, from 16,810 in 2000 to 17,121 in 2010. The proportion per 100,000 people also decreased slightly, from 6.23 to 5.8.

20002010Change
Rank#1,973#2,113-7.1%
Count16,81017,1211.85%
Proportion per 100k6.235.8-6.9%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Quigley

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Quigley has shown some changes over the decade from 2000 to 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The highest percentage of people with the Quigley surname identified as White, with a small decrease from 94.61% in 2000 to 92.5% in 2010. There were notable increases in the percentages of individuals of Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and those identifying with two or more races. The Asian/Pacific Islander group saw an increase of 54%, followed by the Hispanic group with an increase of 64.1%. Those identifying with two or more races increased by 43.48%. Meanwhile, the percentage of Quigleys who identify as Black increased modestly by 10.24%, and those identified as American Indian and Alaskan Native rose by 33.33%.

20002010Change
White94.61%92.5%-2.23%
Hispanic1.56%2.56%64.1%
Black1.66%1.83%10.24%
Two or More Races1.15%1.65%43.48%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.5%0.77%54%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.51%0.68%33.33%

Quigley ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Quigley is British & Irish, which comprises 59.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (17.2%) and Eastern European (5.6%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Indigenous American.

Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe

ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish59.6%
French & German17.2%
Eastern European5.6%
Other17.6%
Quigley

Possible origins of the surname Quigley

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Quigley have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Glasgow City, United Kingdom89.80%
Merseyside, United Kingdom89.80%
Greater London, United Kingdom89.80%
West Midlands, United Kingdom89.50%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom89.50%

What Quigley haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Quigley is R-Z255, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-Z255 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L2 and R-L21, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Doyle, Redmond, Bunn, Foley, Murphy, Gaston, Galvin, Kavanagh, Byrnes, Byrne.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Quigley surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

quigleyPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Quigley have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Quigley

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Quigley" Surname 40.6%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Quigley

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Quigley" Surname 30.2%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Quigley

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Quigley" Surname 19.9%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Quigley

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Quigley" Surname 14.5%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Quigley?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Quigley are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%