Quadroon is from the Spanish cuarteron (Fr. quarteron), or quarter-breed, first seen in English in Sloane's descriptive work, "Jamaica," 1707. The spelling 'quadroon' appears in print in Lawrence, Physiological Zoology, 1819.

The song has not been found in compilations of 19th c. minstrel songs (see GEST post, above), but it is possible that it dates back to that time.