From the French place name Cuinchy, derived from Latin 'Quintus' meaning fifth; linked to John Quincy Adams.
Quincy began as an old Norman French place name and surname before becoming an English given name. It derives from a locality in France, commonly explained from Latin roots meaning something like "estate of Quintus," with Quintus itself meaning "fifth." After the Norman influence on England, Quincy survived in aristocratic and family-name usage, and from there entered the pool of first names.
It has the crisp, urbane quality of many surname-to-first-name transformations, carrying both French refinement and Anglo-American polish. The name is especially associated in American history with the distinguished Quincy family of Massachusetts, most famously through John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States. That connection gave Quincy an educated, statesmanlike aura for generations.
In popular culture, it has also had a creative, stylish dimension through figures such as musician and producer Quincy Jones, whose influence helped broaden the name’s image beyond politics and pedigree. Over time Quincy has shifted from patrician surname-name to a more accessible given name, used for boys and sometimes girls. Literary and cinematic ears also tend to hear it as witty and slightly sophisticated. Its enduring appeal comes from that unusual combination: ancient Roman undertones, Norman and New England history, and a distinctly modern cool.