UK girl's name
Meadow
Open grassy land typically used for hay or grazing.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Meadow is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Meadow popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #291, with 153 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2022, with 165 births.
This profile covers 1,719 England and Wales registrations across 27 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 93% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 1,918 living people in the UK are called Meadow. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Meadow ranked #291 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 153 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2022, when 165 girls were registered as Meadow.
- • Meadow ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #164 in 2024.
- • About 1,918 living people in the UK are estimated to have Meadow as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#291
2024
Births in 2024
153
Latest year
Peak year
2022
165 births
Estimated living
1,918
2026
Meaning
What does Meadow mean?
The name Meadow is derived from the Old English word "mædwe," which means a grassy, open area of land, typically used for pasture. It is believed to have originated in the Anglo-Saxon period, around the 5th to 11th centuries AD, when the English language was in its early stages of development.
The name Meadow is closely associated with nature and the outdoors, evoking images of lush, green fields and the beauty of the natural world. It has been used as a given name since the Middle Ages, although its popularity has fluctuated over time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Meadow can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. In this historical record, there is a mention of a woman named "Medewe" who lived in the county of Lincolnshire, England.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Meadow. For instance, Meadow Soprano (born 1975) is a fictional character from the popular HBO television series "The Sopranos," played by actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler. Additionally, Meadow Williams (born 1991) is an American actress known for her roles in various television shows and films.
Another famous bearer of the name was Meadow Sisto (1799-1856), an American author and educator who wrote several books on women's education and social reform. Her works were influential in advocating for improved educational opportunities for women during the 19th century.
In the realm of sports, Meadow Lemon (1932-2015) was a renowned basketball player and comedian, best known for his involvement with the Harlem Globetrotters. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003, in recognition of his contributions to the game and his entertaining showmanship.
Furthermore, Meadow Merrill (1861-1926) was an American nurse and philanthropist who established several nursing schools and hospitals in the United States and Canada. Her dedication to improving healthcare and nursing education left a lasting impact on the medical field.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Meadow over time
The chart below shows babies named Meadow registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Meadow, the clearest high point is 2022. The latest England and Wales figure is 153 births in 2024, compared with 165 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Meadow by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Meadow was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #322 | 705 | 5 |
| 2010s | #591 | 754 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1272 | 254 | 10 |
| 1990s | #3822 | 6 | 2 |
Geography
Where Meadow is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Meadow. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Meadow ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #164 in 2024.
Across the UK
Meadow in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#164 in 2024
20 years of NRS records, 158 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#192 in 2024
9 years of NISRA records, 50 total registered
Related
Names similar to Meadow
- Megan 70,884
- Mia 67,204
- Molly 47,734
- Millie 44,390
- Maisie 32,671
- Matilda 29,965
- Maya 26,445
- Madison 18,441
- Maria 17,304
- Mollie 15,914
- Martha 15,116
- Maddison 14,918
FAQ
Meadow: questions and answers
How popular is the name Meadow in the UK right now?
In 2024, Meadow was ranked #291 for girls in England and Wales, with 153 births registered.
When was Meadow most popular?
The peak year on record was 2022, with 165 babies registered as Meadow in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Meadow?
Open grassy land typically used for hay or grazing.
How many people are called Meadow in the UK?
A total of 1,719 babies have been registered as Meadow across the 27 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 158 more in Scotland and 50 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Meadow most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Meadow ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #164 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.