Quackenbush is a Dutch name. The first recorded use of the Quackenbush coat of arms was in 1529 by Dirk Aelbertszoon van Quackenbosch,  registered in the Leiden Armorial (1785). The motto "Vrede in Rykdom" (Peace in Wealth) was first used by his grandson Gerrit Aelbertszoon van Quackenbosch in 1578.

Under the rules of heraldry, the right to bear a coat of arms passes only to the direct descendants of the bearer. Because some crucial links in the family history have been lost over the centuries,  the North American Quackenbush family cannot technically use the coat of arms.

All available records indicate that every Quackenbush in North America can ultimately be traced back to an immigrant name Pieter Quackenbosch who came to New Netherland (later called New York)  in 1653 aboard the ship Graft. Pieter was born in Oegstgeesst Holland circa 1614. The modern village of Oesgstgeest is a suburb of Leiden in South Holland.

In Holland the prefix van does not necessarily imply nobility or high social stature the way the German prefix von does- it simply means 'from' or 'of'.   Literally translated, the name Pieter van Quackenbosch probably means something like "Peter from the forest of the croaking frogs".

A dictionary search of modern Dutch reveals that the word "bosch" means "forest" while "kwaken" is the sound made by frogs or crows. At least one translator believes "kwaken" can also refer to the "quack" sound made by ducks. Serious students of the Dutch language should probably do their research elsewhere.

Known spelling variations are Quackenbos, Quackenboss, Quakkelbosch, Quakenbush, Qualkinbush, and Kwakkenbos.The anglicized "Quackenbush" spelling is the most common in North America. The Amersterdam telephone directory presently lists a number of people using the modern Dutch spelling of "Kwakkenbos".

A detailed history of the origin of the name Quackenbush can be found in the book The Quackenbush Family in America, Copyright 1987 by Gail Richard Quackenbush, published by the Henington Publishing Company in Wolfe City Texas. Anyone interested in the family genealogy should have a copy of this excellent book.