NameCensus.

UK surname

Meads

An English occupational surname referring to a meadow or grassland, or one who lived near or worked in such an area.

In the 1881 census there were 976 people recorded with the Meads surname, ranking it #3,988 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,134, ranked #5,195, down from #3,988 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Sawley and Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Warwickshire, South Kesteven and Gedling.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Meads is 1,446 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 16.2%.

1881 census count

976

Ranked #3,988

Modern count

1,134

2016, ranked #5,195

Peak year

1911

1,446 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Meads had 976 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,988 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,134 in 2016, ranked #5,195.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,446 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Meads surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Meads surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Meads 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 803 #3,334
1861 historical 739 #3,698
1881 historical 976 #3,988
1891 historical 1,171 #3,653
1901 historical 1,329 #3,769
1911 historical 1,446 #3,341
1997 modern 1,172 #4,815
1998 modern 1,214 #4,839
1999 modern 1,225 #4,830
2000 modern 1,189 #4,945
2001 modern 1,157 #4,970
2002 modern 1,187 #4,945
2003 modern 1,162 #4,941
2004 modern 1,152 #4,994
2005 modern 1,143 #4,967
2006 modern 1,154 #4,920
2007 modern 1,168 #4,925
2008 modern 1,170 #4,938
2009 modern 1,185 #4,985
2010 modern 1,217 #4,981
2011 modern 1,201 #4,972
2012 modern 1,150 #5,088
2013 modern 1,162 #5,131
2014 modern 1,172 #5,122
2015 modern 1,146 #5,174
2016 modern 1,134 #5,195

Geography

Back to top

Where Meads' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Sawley, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Hethe, Mixbury (Brackley, Northamptonshire), Tusmore, Hardwicke. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Warwickshire, South Kesteven, Gedling, East Cambridgeshire and Erewash. 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 London parishes London 1
2 Sawley Derbyshire
3 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Hethe, Mixbury (Brackley, Northamptonshire), Tusmore, Hardwicke Oxfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Warwickshire 003 North Warwickshire
2 South Kesteven 009 South Kesteven
3 Gedling 002 Gedling
4 East Cambridgeshire 004 East Cambridgeshire
5 Erewash 003 Erewash

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Meads

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Meads

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Meads, 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 Meads surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Meads 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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Meads is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Meads is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Meads falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Meads is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Meads

The surname Meads is an English occupational name that originated in the medieval period. It derived from the Old English word "mæd," meaning meadow or grassland. Those with the surname Meads were likely involved in tending or living near meadows or pastures.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various county records across England. One of the earliest known bearers was Robert de la Mede, mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275. The prefix "de la" indicates the topographic origin of the name.

In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a certain William atte Mede was recorded in Oxfordshire. The use of "atte" in this spelling further reinforces the locational connection of the name to meadows or grasslands. Other early spellings included Mede, Meede, and Meades, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.

The Meads surname also appears in the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as a place name in various counties, such as Berkshire and Hampshire. These place names likely influenced the adoption of the surname by those residing in or near these locations.

Notable historical figures with the surname Meads include:

1. Richard Meades (1586-1629), an English clergyman and scholar who served as a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. 2. William Meade (1789-1862), an American Episcopal bishop and prominent figure in the Episcopal Church in Virginia. 3. George Gordon Meade (1815-1872), a celebrated American military officer who commanded the Union forces at the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. 4. Everard Meade (1590-1658), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire in the 17th century. 5. Robert Meade (1625-1693), an English soldier and landowner who served as Governor of the English colony of Maryland from 1684 to 1689.

While the surname Meads originated as an occupational name related to meadows and grasslands, it has since become a widespread family name, particularly in regions of England and the United States where its early bearers settled.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Meads families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Meads 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. Middlesex leads with 163 Meads' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.71x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 163 1.71x
Nottinghamshire 139 10.83x
Derbyshire 87 5.84x
Warwickshire 70 2.92x
Surrey 66 1.42x
Sussex 66 4.11x
Buckinghamshire 61 10.60x
Berkshire 42 5.88x
Hampshire 35 1.79x
Oxfordshire 32 5.44x
Staffordshire 32 1.00x
Lincolnshire 28 1.84x
Northamptonshire 27 3.02x
Kent 26 0.80x
Yorkshire 24 0.25x
Suffolk 15 1.29x
Gloucestershire 8 0.43x
Herefordshire 6 1.54x
Lancashire 5 0.04x
Roxburghshire 5 2.90x
Shropshire 5 0.61x
Cumberland 4 0.49x
Leicestershire 4 0.38x
Northumberland 4 0.28x
Durham 3 0.11x
Essex 3 0.16x
Monmouthshire 3 0.44x
Somerset 3 0.20x
Cheshire 2 0.10x
Lanarkshire 2 0.07x
Worcestershire 2 0.16x
Glamorgan 1 0.06x
Hertfordshire 1 0.15x
Peeblesshire 1 2.23x
Royal Navy 1 0.88x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Calverton in Nottinghamshire leads with 57 Meads' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1403.94x.

Place Total Index
Calverton 57 1403.94x
Sawley 31 690.42x
Mixbury 26 2921.35x
Brighton 24 7.41x
Skillington 20 1562.50x
Nottingham St Mary 19 5.72x
Hammersmith London 17 7.25x
Birmingham 16 2.00x
Reading St Giles 16 22.82x
Battersea 15 4.28x
Lowestoft 15 27.38x
Polesworth 14 122.81x
Hayes 13 133.74x
Heston 12 37.95x
Bethnal Green London 11 2.66x
Great Marlow 11 70.79x
Medmenham 11 1000.00x
Stratford On Avon 11 82.58x
Titchfield 11 74.78x
Buckingham 10 85.40x
Burton Upon Trent 10 13.30x
Codnor Park 10 285.71x
Long Eaton 10 50.84x
Whitnash 10 719.42x
Pinxton 9 118.73x
Taplow 9 260.12x
Teddington London 9 41.72x
Wellingborough 9 19.99x
Cookham 8 35.91x
Hillingdon 8 26.36x
Radford 8 12.27x
Amersham 7 85.78x
Balcombe 7 244.76x
Camberwell 7 1.15x
Chelsea London 7 2.44x
Pleasley 7 186.17x
Portsea 7 1.83x
Reigate Foreign 7 13.94x
Rushall 7 37.02x
St Marylebone London 7 1.38x
Wilne 7 205.28x
Carshalton 6 33.80x
Clayton 6 99.17x
Ealing 6 7.05x
Eastnor 6 461.54x
Epperstone 6 422.54x
Hackney London 6 1.12x
Hucknall Torkard 6 18.44x
Newark Upon Trent 6 13.01x
Plumstead 6 5.54x
Solihull 6 34.76x
Southwark St George Martyr 6 3.13x
Tankersley 6 85.35x
Tatenhill 6 275.23x
Warwick St Nicholas 6 34.07x
Arnold 5 26.70x
Beeston 5 33.92x
Earley 5 41.98x
Eastbourne 5 6.77x
Edgbaston 5 6.72x
Finchley 5 13.70x
Hampstead London 5 3.37x
Hasland 5 32.96x
Hastings St Mary 5 12.52x
Hawick 5 12.95x
Islington London 5 0.54x
Lamberhurstsussex 5 239.23x
Lambeth 5 0.60x
Paddington London 5 1.43x
Rotherfield Greys 5 80.39x
Shrivenham 5 141.24x
Snenton 5 9.92x
St Clement Danes 5 32.45x
St Pancras London 5 0.65x
Towcester 5 54.11x
Ardingly 4 78.43x
Clerkenwell London 4 1.78x
Hardingstone 4 46.78x
Twickenham 4 9.80x
Whitechapel London 4 4.26x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 62
Elizabeth 49
Sarah 38
Ann 22
Ellen 20
Annie 19
Alice 18
Eliza 17
Emma 16
Jane 16
Ada 13
Fanny 13
Emily 12
Caroline 10
Florence 8
Charlotte 7
Frances 7
Martha 7
Gertrude 6
Hannah 6
Harriet 6
Kate 6
Rose 6
Susan 5
Anna 4
Louisa 4
Amy 3
Beatrice 3
Catherine 3
Clara 3
Elizth. 3
Harriett 3
Laura 3
Lucy 3
Maria 3
Matilda 3
Susannah 3
Amelia 2
Grace 2
Jemima 2
Mabel 2
Margaret 2
Minnie 2
Rebecca 2
Rosa 2
Sophia 2
Bella 1
Elisabeth 1
Eliz. 1
Elizh. 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 70
George 49
John 41
Thomas 31
Henry 24
Charles 21
James 17
Alfred 14
Frederick 14
Joseph 14
Arthur 11
Edward 10
Robert 9
Samuel 9
Edwin 8
Harry 8
Albert 7
Frank 7
Ernest 5
Richard 4
Ben 3
David 3
Lewis 3
Walter 3
Amos 2
Benjamin 2
Enoch 2
Herbert 2
Isaac 2
Jesse 2
Luke 2
Mark 2
Mathew 2
Sam 2
Abraham 1
Chas.P. 1
Clifford 1
Coosham 1
Cornelius 1
Eli 1
Ellis 1
Emanuel 1
Ephriam 1
Felix 1
Infant 1
Jabez 1
Jasper 1
Josh. 1
Leonard 1
Zebedee 1

FAQ

Meads surname: questions and answers

How common was the Meads surname in 1881?

In 1881, 976 people were recorded with the Meads surname. That placed it at #3,988 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Meads surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,134 in 2016. That gives Meads a modern rank of #5,195.

What does the Meads surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to a meadow or grassland, or one who lived near or worked in such an area.

What does the Meads map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Meads 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.