Quince

Meaning of Quince

Quince, pronounced “kwins,” began life as an English surname for someone who grew or sold the perfumed yellow fruit, itself a Latin import (cydonia → “quince”) long associated with love charms and wedding feasts; Shakespeare’s practical carpenter Peter Quince later nailed the name into the literary timber of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In the United States, Quince has hovered on the fringes of the Social Security records for over a century—rarely cracking more than a dozen births a year and spending most of its time in the 600–900 range—which keeps it safely in “undiscovered orchard” territory. The sound is crisp, one syllable, and unmistakable, offering an offbeat alternative to Quinn or Vince while still sitting politely within Anglo-American phonetics. Its quiet history, botanical imagery, and sly theatrical nod let the name feel both down-to-earth and faintly romantic—like finding an heirloom fruit at the farmers’ market and realizing it makes a rather good jam.

Pronunciation

English

• Pronunced as kwins (/kwɪns/)

• Quincy
• Quentin
• Quinlan
• Quinton
• Quinnton