NameCensus.

UK surname

Meath

An English habitational surname derived from the name of the Irish county of Meath.

In the 1881 census there were 74 people recorded with the Meath surname, ranking it #23,062 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 93, ranked #31,945, down from #23,062 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sefton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Meath is 110 in 1997. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 25.7%.

1881 census count

74

Ranked #23,062

Modern count

93

2016, ranked #31,945

Peak year

1997

110 bearers

Map years

1

1998 to 1998

Key insights

  • Meath had 74 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,062 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 93 in 2016, ranked #31,945.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 96 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Meath surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Meath surname density by area, 1998 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Meath 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 49 #24,448
1861 historical 71 #24,765
1881 historical 74 #23,062
1891 historical 71 #27,934
1901 historical 78 #25,500
1911 historical 96 #23,193
1997 modern 110 #25,529
1998 modern 108 #26,417
1999 modern 106 #26,885
2000 modern 103 #27,280
2001 modern 95 #28,101
2002 modern 95 #28,666
2003 modern 89 #29,380
2004 modern 85 #30,132
2005 modern 86 #30,094
2006 modern 86 #30,425
2007 modern 89 #30,383
2008 modern 90 #30,567
2009 modern 93 #30,682
2010 modern 94 #31,111
2011 modern 94 #31,016
2012 modern 91 #31,659
2013 modern 94 #31,656
2014 modern 97 #31,518
2015 modern 94 #31,872
2016 modern 93 #31,945

Geography

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Where Meaths are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sefton. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sefton 021 Sefton
2 Sefton 031 Sefton
3 Sefton 004 Sefton
4 Sefton 019 Sefton
5 Sefton 038 Sefton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Meath

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Meath

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Meath, 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

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Meath surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Meath 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Meath is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Meath 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

Meath falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Meath is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Meath

The surname Meath is of English origin, deriving its name from the historic county of Meath in Ireland. This county, located in the province of Leinster, traces its name back to the Old Irish word "Midhe," which means "middle" or "center." The name likely referred to the region's central location within the larger kingdom of Mide.

During the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century, many English settlers and nobles arrived in the county of Meath. Over time, some of these individuals adopted the county's name as their surname, leading to the emergence of the Meath surname.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Meath surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dated 1166-1176. These rolls mention a certain Roger de Meath, indicating that the surname had already been established by that time.

In the 13th century, the Meath surname appeared in various historical records, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, which listed a William de Meath in 1273. The Testa de Nevill, a record of land holdings compiled in 1219, also mentions individuals with the Meath surname.

Notable individuals bearing the Meath surname throughout history include:

1. Walter de Meath (fl. 1302), an English ecclesiastic who served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1302 to 1308. 2. William de Meath (fl. 1285-1306), an English cleric and royal administrator who held the position of Lord Treasurer of Ireland. 3. Sir John Meath (1550-1624), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1611. 4. George Meath (1617-1688), an English clergyman and academic who became the President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. 5. Thomas Meath (1741-1817), an Irish-born soldier who served in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War.

It's worth noting that the Meath surname is sometimes found with variations in spelling, such as Meeth, Methe, and Meth, particularly in older records. Additionally, the name has been associated with various place names in England, including Meath Green in Bedfordshire and Meath Park in Hertfordshire.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Meath families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Meath 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. Lancashire leads with 25 Meaths recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.92x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 25 2.92x
Middlesex 16 2.22x
Yorkshire 14 1.96x
Staffordshire 8 3.28x
Kent 5 2.03x
Warwickshire 2 1.10x
Cheshire 1 0.63x
Derbyshire 1 0.89x
Lanarkshire 1 0.43x
Somerset 1 0.86x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. St Pancras London in Middlesex leads with 14 Meaths recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.10x.

Place Total Index
St Pancras London 14 24.10x
Stainland Cum Old 11 901.64x
Liverpool 9 17.31x
West Bromwich 7 50.22x
Gillingham 5 98.43x
Salford 5 19.86x
Everton 4 14.66x
Manchester 4 10.39x
Aston 2 3.99x
Hunslet 2 17.94x
Wavertree 2 72.99x
Barony 1 1.69x
Bowling 1 14.12x
Dunham Massey 1 204.08x
Handsworth 1 16.67x
Islington London 1 1.43x
Muggington 1 2000.00x
Toxteth Park 1 3.45x
Wedmore 1 131.58x
Westminster St John 1 11.38x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 5
Ellen 3
Alice 2
Bridget 2
Catherine 2
Eliza 2
Emma 2
Kate 2
Ann 1
Anne 1
Annie 1
Cathrine 1
Daisy 1
Dorcas 1
E.G.S. 1
Elisa 1
Elizabeth 1
Florence 1
Isabella 1
Lilly 1
Margaret 1
Margret 1
Mia 1
Minnie 1
Rebekah 1
Sarah 1
Sushannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 9
Thomas 5
George 3
Michael 3
Joseph 2
Patrick 2
Peter 2
William 2
Edward 1
James 1
Joe 1
Martin 1
Mathew 1
Walter 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Meath households.

FAQ

Meath surname: questions and answers

How common was the Meath surname in 1881?

In 1881, 74 people were recorded with the Meath surname. That placed it at #23,062 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Meath surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 93 in 2016. That gives Meath a modern rank of #31,945.

What does the Meath surname mean?

An English habitational surname derived from the name of the Irish county of Meath.

What does the Meath map show?

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