The elusive Q is one of the sparsest letters in the English language. Its section is one of the smallest in the dictionary, and the number of names that begin with the letter are rarer still, especially when we take out those that have simply replaced a C or K (as with Qayla and Qian, which both appear in the ONS data).
But the fact that they are so sparse is what makes Q names so intriguing. Quinn and Quentin have long been the most recognisable choices for boys, with Queenie for girls. Glee has started to put Quinn in the mind's eye for girls after Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman.
As Quinn was originally a surname, I have included other Q surnames below that would make intriguing choices. I've listed them as unisex because, as you can see in previous posts, surnames have been used as firstnames within families on both boys and girls in this country for centuries.
Qasim - An Arabic name meaning "he who shares", popular in the Muslim world. The name belonged to one of the sons of Muhammad. It is also transliterated to Kasim.
Quentin - An Old French form of Quintinus, brought to Britain by the Normans. St Quentin martyred in Gaul in 287AD, was a popular saint in France in the middle ages. The name was used in Britain in the 11th to 13th centuries particularly, and then waned in popularity. It remained strong in Scotland, however, until the 17th century. A quintain was a medieval jousting training exercise and may, in some cases, be a source for Quentin as a surname.
Quinton - As a surname, Quinton came to life as a variant spelling of Quentin. As a firstname, it was used to anglicise the Irish firstname Cu Maige (Cumhai), meaning 'hound of the plain', used particularly among the MacMahons, MacCawells, MacCanns, MacLochlainns and MacCloskeys.
Quintus - A Roman name literally meaning "fifth" in Latin. The use of Quintus as a praenomen led to the cognomens Quintinus and Quintillus.
Quirinus - One of the most important gods of the early Roman pantheon as one of the three deities of the Capitoline Triad. He was not only a war god but also associated closely with Romulus, the mythical founder of Rome. His name is believed to be derived from the Sabine word for "spear". Quirino is the Italian form; Quirin, the German.
Queen - Used as a descriptive name from the early middle ages, ultimately deriving from the Old English cwen meaning 'woman'. The royal title "queen" as we know it today derives from the similar cwene but this is not believed to be the source for the earlier use of the personal name. In later years Queen was used as a pet name for girls who shared their name with the contemporary queen.
Queenie - Like Queen, Queenie was used as a nickname for girls who shared their name with a queen, and as a diminutive for Queen itself. This name became very popular during the reign of Queen Victoria, in her honour.
Quinta, Quintina, Quintella, Quintilla and Quirina are all feminine forms of the equivalent Roman names above.
And now for the surnames:
Quane / Quain - A Manx contraction of the surname MacShane. This would make an interesting connection to any of the variants of John.
Qualter - The Manx surname, derived from MacWalter.
Quarry - From both the occupational name for "a quarrier" and the Manx for MacGuaire.
Quellyn - A surname from Llyn Cwellyn, a reservoir in North Wales.
Quilliam - The Manx form of MacWilliam.
Quinlan - From the Gaelic MacCaoinlean. Caoinlean is an Old Irish name meaning "of beautiful shape". It can be currently found as a rare boys name in Britain.
Quinn - From the Gaelic MacCuin, meaning "son of Cuin", which itself derived from conn "chief". It is predominantly used as a male firstname at the moment in Britain although it is found on girls.
Quincy - Derived from Cuinchy in France, Quincy was used by an ancestor of the Earls of Winchester. This name is also currently found as a firstname for boys.
We can also find the mysterious Q situated in the middle:
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Dominique |
Aquila |
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And there are also other intriguing names with Qs found from 2009 England and Wales data and 2010 Scotland data. Here they are in their entirety:
Aaqib, Aaqil, Abdulhaq, Abdulqadir, Aneeq, Aniq, Aqeel, Aqib, Ariq, Ashfaq, Daquan, Farooq, Faruq, Furqaan, Furqan, Haoqi, Haaziq, Haziq, Isaaq, Ishaaq, Ishaq, Isxaq, Jaquan, Joaquim, Leighton-Quade, Luqa, Luqmaan, Luqman, Maliq, Malique, Musaddiq, Naqeeb, Qaasim, Qais, Qamar, Qasim, Qays, Qazi, Qi, Qian, Quinlan, Raqayim, Raqeeb, Sadiq, Saqib, Shaquan, Shaquille, Shariq, Tariq, Tawfiq, Tequan, Tyrique, Uqbah, Waqas, Yacqub, Yaqoob, Yaqub
Aneeqa, Aniqa, Aniqah, Aqilah, Aqsa, Atqiya, Bilqees, Deqa, Falaq, Hadiqa, Hibaq, Iqlas, Iqra, Iqraa, Iqrah, Muqadas, Qaylah, Qin, Qudsia, Qudsiyah, Raqiya, Ruqaiya, Ruqaiyah, Ruqaiyya, Ruqaya, Ruqaya, Ruqayya, Ruqayyah, Ruqia, Ruqiya, Sadiqa, Shaniqua, Shanique, Taqwa, Unique, Yaqin
