This is a locational name which derives from the village of Queenborough in Kent or Queniborough in Leicestershire. The name does refer to a place (Brough or Borough) owned by the Queen, Eleanor of Castile, the wife of Edward 1 (1272-1307) who possessed a number of estates which were obtained for her with the help of the Jewish community, these two villages were apparently included and named accordingly. The name development has included, Osceline de Quinbergh of Norfolk in 1276, and the name has never been common, only one family being recorded for Kent and one for Leicester in the 1873 Survey of Property Owners. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Nicholas Quenbure which was dated 1272 The Pipe Rolls of Leicester during the reign of King Edward 1 The Hammer of the Scots 1272-1307 Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.