NameCensus.

UK surname

Meek

A descriptive surname referring to someone who is humble, gentle, or submissive in character.

In the 1881 census there were 3,513 people recorded with the Meek surname, ranking it #1,298 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,924, ranked #1,374, down from #1,298 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, East Dean, Little Dean, Flaxley, Abinghall, Weston-under-Penyard (Ross, Herefordshire), Lea (Ross, H and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Forest of Dean and Blaenau Gwent.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Meek is 5,165 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 40.2%.

1881 census count

3,513

Ranked #1,298

Modern count

4,924

2016, ranked #1,374

Peak year

1999

5,165 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Meek had 3,513 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,298 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,924 in 2016, ranked #1,374.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,026 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Meek surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Meek surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Meek 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 1,973 #1,468
1861 historical 1,683 #1,700
1881 historical 3,513 #1,298
1891 historical 3,266 #1,457
1901 historical 4,026 #1,400
1911 historical 3,199 #1,627
1997 modern 4,999 #1,309
1998 modern 5,148 #1,317
1999 modern 5,165 #1,325
2000 modern 5,119 #1,324
2001 modern 5,026 #1,318
2002 modern 5,124 #1,323
2003 modern 5,000 #1,319
2004 modern 4,941 #1,332
2005 modern 4,884 #1,329
2006 modern 4,932 #1,325
2007 modern 4,957 #1,330
2008 modern 4,974 #1,336
2009 modern 5,083 #1,341
2010 modern 5,086 #1,365
2011 modern 5,031 #1,357
2012 modern 4,896 #1,369
2013 modern 4,965 #1,378
2014 modern 4,979 #1,381
2015 modern 4,949 #1,373
2016 modern 4,924 #1,374

Geography

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Where Meeks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, East Dean, Little Dean, Flaxley, Abinghall, Weston-under-Penyard (Ross, Herefordshire), Lea (Ross, H, Edinburgh and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Forest of Dean and Blaenau Gwent. 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 London parishes London 3
3 East Dean, Little Dean, Flaxley, Abinghall, Weston-under-Penyard (Ross, Herefordshire), Lea (Ross, H Gloucestershire
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Forest of Dean 003 Forest of Dean
2 Forest of Dean 004 Forest of Dean
3 Blaenau Gwent 008 Blaenau Gwent
4 Blaenau Gwent 009 Blaenau Gwent
5 Forest of Dean 007 Forest of Dean

Forenames

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First names often paired with Meek

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Meek

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Meek surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Meek household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Meek is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Meek is most concentrated in decile 2 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

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

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Meek 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 Meek is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Meek

The surname Meek has its origins in England, first appearing in written records around the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English word "meoc" or "meek," meaning "mild" or "gentle." It likely started as a nickname for someone with a meek or humble demeanor.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, several people with the name Meek or similar spellings like Meke or Mek are listed. This suggests the surname was already well-established by the late 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Meek surname is William le Meke, who is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1196. The use of the Norman French prefix "le" indicates the name had become hereditary by this time.

The Meek surname has also been connected to several place names in England, such as Meek in Staffordshire and Meakes in Bedfordshire. These locations may have influenced the development of the surname in their respective areas.

Notable individuals with the Meek surname throughout history include John Meek (c.1591-1635), an English merchant and Member of Parliament for Sandwich, and Joseph Meek (1810-1868), an American frontier explorer and mountain man known for his travels in the Pacific Northwest.

Other famous Meeks include John Meek (1856-1912), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire, and Mary Meek Ayer (1860-1919), an American educator and philanthropist who founded the Ayer Home for Children and Aged Women in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Alexander Meek (1816-1865), born in Ireland, served as a Union general during the American Civil War and was killed in action at the Battle of Fredericksburg in 1862.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Meek families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Meek 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. Gloucestershire leads with 449 Meeks recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.74x.

County Total Index
Gloucestershire 449 6.74x
Yorkshire 327 0.97x
Middlesex 249 0.73x
Norfolk 235 4.50x
Durham 216 2.14x
Lancashire 200 0.50x
Lanarkshire 190 1.73x
Midlothian 179 3.93x
Surrey 178 1.08x
Staffordshire 147 1.28x
Angus 127 4.04x
West Lothian 98 19.16x
Herefordshire 90 6.46x
Warwickshire 83 0.97x
Worcestershire 77 1.74x
Stirlingshire 51 4.07x
Cheshire 48 0.64x
Renfrewshire 45 1.71x
Hertfordshire 41 1.75x
Kent 39 0.34x
Devon 34 0.48x
Somerset 30 0.55x
Cornwall 22 0.57x
Sussex 21 0.37x
Leicestershire 19 0.50x
Northumberland 19 0.38x
Essex 17 0.25x
Peeblesshire 17 10.64x
Dunbartonshire 16 1.75x
Perthshire 16 1.05x
Wiltshire 16 0.53x
Derbyshire 15 0.28x
Suffolk 15 0.36x
Berkshire 14 0.55x
Ayrshire 13 0.51x
Cumberland 13 0.44x
Glamorgan 11 0.19x
Bedfordshire 10 0.57x
Monmouthshire 10 0.41x
Aberdeenshire 9 0.29x
Berwickshire 8 1.95x
Nottinghamshire 8 0.17x
East Lothian 7 1.56x
Wigtownshire 6 1.33x
Fife 5 0.25x
Hampshire 5 0.07x
Shetland 5 1.44x
Buckinghamshire 4 0.19x
Cambridgeshire 4 0.19x
Huntingdonshire 4 0.59x
Northamptonshire 4 0.13x
Oxfordshire 4 0.19x
Selkirkshire 3 0.98x
Lincolnshire 2 0.04x
Shropshire 2 0.07x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.07x
Dorset 1 0.04x
Roxburghshire 1 0.16x
Royal Navy 1 0.25x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Westbury On Severn East in Gloucestershire leads with 217 Meeks recorded in 1881 and an index of 144.09x.

Place Total Index
Westbury On Severn East 217 144.09x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 73 3.99x
Whitburn 61 82.54x
Bethnal Green London 46 3.12x
West Bromwich 42 6.40x
Dundee 41 3.49x
Govan 32 1.18x
Newington 31 2.47x
Ruardean 31 205.84x
New Monkland 30 9.24x
Walsall Foreign 30 5.07x
Aston 29 1.23x
Camberwell 29 1.34x
Islington London 28 0.85x
Old Monkland 27 6.19x
Wolverhampton 27 3.06x
Lambeth 26 0.88x
Monkwearmouth Shore 26 13.18x
Slamannan 26 37.90x
Bishopwearmouth 25 2.88x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 24 19.69x
Leeds 24 1.26x
Manchester 24 1.32x
West Dean 24 22.18x
Great Driffield 23 33.29x
Arbroath 22 21.10x
Birmingham 22 0.77x
Barony 21 0.76x
Battersea 21 1.68x
Brightside Bierlow 21 3.18x
Carnwath 21 30.92x
Dalkeith 21 23.39x
Linlithgow 21 32.01x
St Pancras London 21 0.77x
Liff Benvie 20 4.19x
York St Maurice 20 31.56x
Gateshead 19 2.51x
Gayton 19 215.66x
Cranston 18 155.17x
Dawdon 18 14.48x
Holy Trinity 18 2.22x
Maidstone 18 5.21x
Berkhampstead 17 32.30x
Sculcoates 17 3.19x
Falmouth 16 11.75x
Great Lumley 16 92.49x
Isleworth 16 10.60x
Kirkintilloch 16 12.90x
Middlesbrough 16 3.65x
North Creake 16 224.40x
Clerkenwell London 15 1.87x
Merton 15 51.80x
Weston Under Penyard 15 153.53x
Ashton Under Lyne 14 1.59x
Barry 14 37.08x
Cheltenham 14 2.72x
East Greenock 14 5.63x
Everton 14 1.09x
Moss Side 14 6.60x
Thirsk 14 36.05x
Dukinfield 13 3.75x
Hackney London 13 0.68x
Hempton 13 196.97x
Leigh 13 24.15x
Liberton 13 18.51x
Paddington London 13 1.04x
Worcester Blockhouse 13 53.37x
Kensington London 12 0.64x
Leicester St Margaret 12 1.31x
Newchurch 12 3.64x
Southwark St George Martyr 12 1.76x
West Greenock 12 2.54x
Wortley In Bramley 12 4.50x
Bow London 11 2.54x
Edinburgh New 11 31.12x
Liverpool 11 0.45x
Salford 11 0.93x
St Marylebone London 11 0.61x
Thorpe Next Norwich 11 19.87x
Westoe 11 1.92x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 155
Sarah 119
Elizabeth 98
Jane 58
Ann 57
Eliza 42
Emma 41
Annie 40
Alice 34
Emily 33
Hannah 32
Louisa 25
Harriet 24
Ellen 23
Fanny 21
Martha 21
Maria 20
Charlotte 18
Catherine 17
Florence 17
Margaret 17
Caroline 16
Lucy 16
Edith 15
Kate 15
Agnes 14
Clara 14
Harriett 12
Rebecca 10
Susan 10
Ada 9
Elizth. 9
Frances 9
Isabella 9
Eleanor 8
Amelia 7
Anna 7
Anne 7
Gertrude 7
Rose 7
Sophia 7
Matilda 6
Selina 6
Ethel 5
Lily 5
Lydia 5
Rachel 5
Susannah 5
Georgina 4
Nelly 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 157
John 139
George 101
James 82
Thomas 80
Henry 58
Joseph 49
Robert 39
Edward 38
Charles 34
Arthur 29
Samuel 29
Alfred 25
Richard 23
Frederick 21
Albert 19
Walter 15
Ernest 13
Wm. 13
Benjamin 9
David 9
Edwin 9
Fredrick 9
Francis 8
Harry 8
Christopher 7
Alexander 6
Daniel 6
Simeon 6
Thos. 6
Timothy 6
Frank 5
Herbert 5
Mark 5
Sidney 5
Aaron 4
Chas. 4
Donald 4
Elijah 4
Enoch 4
Fred 4
Isaac 4
Percy 4
Peter 4
Ralph 4
Richd. 4
Tom 4
Mathew 3
Moses 3
Simon 3

FAQ

Meek surname: questions and answers

How common was the Meek surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,513 people were recorded with the Meek surname. That placed it at #1,298 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Meek surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,924 in 2016. That gives Meek a modern rank of #1,374.

What does the Meek surname mean?

A descriptive surname referring to someone who is humble, gentle, or submissive in character.

What does the Meek map show?

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