NameCensus.

UK surname

Meadley

In the 1881 census there were 128 people recorded with the Meadley surname, ranking it #17,079 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 224, ranked #18,164, down from #17,079 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Leeds, Stranton and Sculcoates. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Riding of Yorkshire, Hartlepool and North East Derbyshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Meadley is 251 in 2009. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 75.0%.

1881 census count

128

Ranked #17,079

Modern count

224

2016, ranked #18,164

Peak year

2009

251 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Meadley had 128 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,079 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 224 in 2016, ranked #18,164.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 250 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Meadley surname distribution map

The map shows where the Meadley surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Meadley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Meadley over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 85 #18,940
1861 historical 93 #22,009
1881 historical 128 #17,079
1891 historical 183 #15,918
1901 historical 205 #14,884
1911 historical 250 #12,918
1997 modern 239 #15,718
1998 modern 237 #16,272
1999 modern 234 #16,506
2000 modern 241 #16,146
2001 modern 241 #15,870
2002 modern 237 #16,413
2003 modern 227 #16,718
2004 modern 228 #16,723
2005 modern 226 #16,782
2006 modern 237 #16,334
2007 modern 237 #16,571
2008 modern 233 #16,885
2009 modern 251 #16,368
2010 modern 250 #16,791
2011 modern 236 #17,279
2012 modern 239 #17,027
2013 modern 226 #17,969
2014 modern 227 #18,029
2015 modern 222 #18,225
2016 modern 224 #18,164

Geography

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Where Meadleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Leeds, Stranton, Sculcoates, Barton St Peter and St Mary and Keyingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Riding of Yorkshire, Hartlepool and North East Derbyshire. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Leeds Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Stranton Durham
3 Sculcoates Yorkshire, East Riding
4 Barton St Peter and St Mary Lincolnshire
5 Keyingham Yorkshire, East Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Riding of Yorkshire 039 East Riding of Yorkshire
2 Hartlepool 003 Hartlepool
3 Hartlepool 014 Hartlepool
4 East Riding of Yorkshire 010 East Riding of Yorkshire
5 North East Derbyshire 012 North East Derbyshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Meadley

These lists show first names that appear often with the Meadley surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Meadley

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Meadley, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Meadley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Meadley household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Meadley is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Meadley is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Meadley falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Meadley is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Meadley, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Meadley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Meadley surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 82 Meadleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.79x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 82 6.79x
Lancashire 9 0.62x
Buckinghamshire 6 8.14x
Nottinghamshire 6 3.65x
Warwickshire 6 1.95x
Oxfordshire 5 6.64x
Middlesex 4 0.33x
Surrey 3 0.51x
Bedfordshire 2 3.17x
Devon 1 0.39x
Midlothian 1 0.61x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Sunk Island in Yorkshire leads with 19 Meadleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 10555.56x.

Place Total Index
Sunk Island 19 10555.56x
Keyingham 14 5384.62x
Leeds 11 16.12x
Everton 9 19.52x
Holy Trinity 8 27.53x
Aston 6 7.09x
Beverley St Martin 6 297.03x
Bradwell 6 576.92x
Weel 6 12000.00x
Nottingham St Mary 5 11.76x
Oxford St Clement 5 263.16x
Scarborough 4 36.43x
Sheffield 4 10.40x
Lambeth 3 2.82x
Sculcoates 3 15.67x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 2 48.43x
Chelsea London 2 5.44x
Leighton Buzzard 2 73.53x
Stoke Newington London 2 21.05x
York Holy Trinity 2 192.31x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 1.52x
Foston On Wolds 1 833.33x
Hessle In Sculcoates 1 93.46x
Hucknall Torkard 1 23.98x
Ryhill Camerton 1 909.09x
Stoke Damerel 1 5.63x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Meadley surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Meadley surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 11
George 7
Thomas 6
Robert 5
Harry 3
Henry 3
Joseph 3
Thos. 2
William 2
Alfred 1
Arthur 1
Charly 1
Chas. 1
Christopher 1
Cornelius 1
Daniel 1
Frank 1
Fred.W. 1
Herbert 1
James 1
Lawson 1
Malton 1
Michael 1
N... 1
Percy 1
Richard 1
Walker 1
Wallace 1
Wiliam 1
Wm. 1
Wm.Henry 1

FAQ

Meadley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Meadley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 128 people were recorded with the Meadley surname. That placed it at #17,079 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Meadley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 224 in 2016. That gives Meadley a modern rank of #18,164.

What does the Meadley map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Meadley bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.