NameCensus.

UK surname

Meecham

In the 1881 census there were 201 people recorded with the Meecham surname, ranking it #12,791 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 396, ranked #11,967, up from #12,791 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet,, Newchurch and Langport, Drayton with Middleney, Curry Rivell, Swell, Aller. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Mid Devon, Leicester and Manchester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Meecham is 420 in 2003. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 97.0%.

1881 census count

201

Ranked #12,791

Modern count

396

2016, ranked #11,967

Peak year

2003

420 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Meecham had 201 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,791 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 396 in 2016, ranked #11,967.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 221 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Meecham surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Meecham surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Meecham 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 90 #18,317
1861 historical 82 #23,321
1881 historical 201 #12,791
1891 historical 202 #14,808
1901 historical 214 #14,517
1911 historical 221 #14,044
1997 modern 345 #12,291
1998 modern 386 #11,668
1999 modern 398 #11,486
2000 modern 408 #11,232
2001 modern 397 #11,299
2002 modern 415 #11,133
2003 modern 420 #10,862
2004 modern 418 #10,923
2005 modern 416 #10,855
2006 modern 404 #11,159
2007 modern 388 #11,630
2008 modern 397 #11,556
2009 modern 410 #11,503
2010 modern 404 #11,902
2011 modern 394 #11,997
2012 modern 399 #11,740
2013 modern 409 #11,714
2014 modern 407 #11,848
2015 modern 398 #11,949
2016 modern 396 #11,967

Geography

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Where Meechams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet,, Newchurch, Langport, Drayton with Middleney, Curry Rivell, Swell, Aller, Sapperton, Coates and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Mid Devon, Leicester, Manchester, Castle Point and South Somerset. 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 Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet, Gloucestershire
2 Newchurch Hampshire
3 Langport, Drayton with Middleney, Curry Rivell, Swell, Aller Somerset
4 Sapperton, Coates Gloucestershire
5 London parishes London 3

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Mid Devon 007 Mid Devon
2 Leicester 037 Leicester
3 Manchester 017 Manchester
4 Castle Point 008 Castle Point
5 South Somerset 021 South Somerset

Forenames

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First names often paired with Meecham

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Meecham

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Meecham is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Meecham is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Meecham falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Meecham families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Meecham 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 32 Meechams recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.63x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 32 1.63x
Gloucestershire 28 7.28x
Lancashire 21 0.90x
Somerset 21 6.65x
Staffordshire 15 2.27x
Glamorgan 11 3.22x
Berkshire 9 6.12x
Essex 9 2.33x
Lanarkshire 8 1.26x
Stirlingshire 8 11.06x
Devon 7 1.72x
Buckinghamshire 6 5.06x
Surrey 6 0.63x
West Lothian 6 20.33x
Hampshire 3 0.75x
Yorkshire 2 0.10x
Angus 1 0.55x
Ayrshire 1 0.68x
Cheshire 1 0.23x
Dunbartonshire 1 1.90x
Durham 1 0.17x
Herefordshire 1 1.24x
Midlothian 1 0.38x
Sussex 1 0.30x
Worcestershire 1 0.39x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bromley London in Middlesex leads with 16 Meechams recorded in 1881 and an index of 37.10x.

Place Total Index
Bromley London 16 37.10x
Upton St Leonards 11 1122.45x
Bedminster 8 26.98x
Campsie 8 201.51x
Clerkenwell London 8 17.29x
Llanguick 8 130.72x
Sapperton 8 2222.22x
East Hagbourn 7 2000.00x
Manchester 7 6.69x
Norton Canes 7 290.46x
Crewkerne 6 179.10x
Drayton Parslow 6 1875.00x
Linlithgow 6 158.31x
Mile End Old Town 6 19.39x
Spotland 6 23.20x
Curry Rivell 5 471.70x
West Ham 5 5.85x
Rutherglen 4 43.01x
Wanstead 4 59.00x
West Bromwich 4 10.56x
Ardwick 3 14.30x
Govan 3 1.91x
Lambeth 3 1.75x
Neath 3 43.17x
Southwark St George Martyr 3 7.60x
Arreton 2 155.04x
Bristol St George 2 11.25x
Clifton 2 10.29x
Hulme 2 4.12x
Lechlade 2 253.16x
Lyncombe Widcombe 2 24.21x
Okehampton 2 129.87x
Sedgley 2 8.14x
South Molton 2 89.29x
Swinton In Rotherham 2 38.91x
Tilehurst 2 67.34x
Walsall Foreign 2 5.85x
Axminster 1 52.36x
Brighton 1 1.50x
Bristol St James St Paul 1 7.80x
Chester Holy Trinity 1 49.26x
Clitheroe 1 14.60x
Colinton 1 34.13x
Dundee 1 1.47x
Exeter St Sidwell 1 10.70x
Farnworth 1 7.17x
Glasgow 1 0.89x
Hereford St Owen 1 37.74x
Kirkintilloch 1 13.97x
Minchinhampton 1 32.68x
Newnham 1 101.01x
North Meols 1 4.39x
Ochiltree 1 99.01x
Pedmore 1 294.12x
Shanklin 1 83.33x
St George Bloomsbury 1 8.89x
St Marylebone London 1 0.96x
Thornley 1 47.39x
Washfield 1 370.37x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 15
Sarah 7
Ann 4
Caroline 4
Elizabeth 4
Ellen 4
Emily 4
Martha 4
Alice 3
Eliza 3
Emma 3
Jane 3
Annie 2
Celia 2
Esther 2
Maria 2
Rosina 2
Amy 1
Anne 1
Beatrice 1
Bertha 1
Charlotte 1
Deborah 1
Edett 1
Fanney 1
Flora 1
Georgenia 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Julia 1
Kate 1
Louie 1
Margaret 1
Melenina 1
Minnie 1
Miriam 1
Rose 1
Sophia 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 13
James 7
Charles 6
Henry 6
John 6
Alfred 5
George 5
Frederick 4
Joseph 4
Thomas 4
Fred 2
Jacob 2
Robert 2
Samuel 2
Alfd. 1
Andrew 1
Arthur 1
Athol 1
Benjamin 1
Christopher 1
Daniel 1
Danzlow 1
Earnest 1
Edward 1
Frank 1
Fredrick 1
Mark 1
Nathan 1
Raymond 1
Walter 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Meecham surname: questions and answers

How common was the Meecham surname in 1881?

In 1881, 201 people were recorded with the Meecham surname. That placed it at #12,791 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Meecham surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 396 in 2016. That gives Meecham a modern rank of #11,967.

What does the Meecham map show?

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