NameCensus.

UK surname

Meekins

A diminutive form of the Irish surname Meek, meaning "gentle" or "mild-mannered."

In the 1881 census there were 126 people recorded with the Meekins surname, ranking it #17,245 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 182, ranked #20,890, down from #17,245 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St James, London parishes and Lackford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Tandridge, Maidstone and Wyre.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Meekins is 209 in 1997. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 44.4%.

1881 census count

126

Ranked #17,245

Modern count

182

2016, ranked #20,890

Peak year

1997

209 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Meekins had 126 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,245 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 182 in 2016, ranked #20,890.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 198 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Meekins surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Meekins surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Meekins 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 57 #23,092
1861 historical 56 #26,864
1881 historical 126 #17,245
1891 historical 163 #17,300
1901 historical 175 #16,469
1911 historical 198 #15,058
1997 modern 209 #17,157
1998 modern 207 #17,749
1999 modern 205 #17,960
2000 modern 204 #17,987
2001 modern 193 #18,334
2002 modern 193 #18,713
2003 modern 191 #18,628
2004 modern 189 #18,855
2005 modern 177 #19,598
2006 modern 167 #20,447
2007 modern 174 #20,166
2008 modern 171 #20,595
2009 modern 172 #20,950
2010 modern 175 #21,186
2011 modern 175 #21,035
2012 modern 186 #20,141
2013 modern 197 #19,725
2014 modern 196 #19,961
2015 modern 196 #19,840
2016 modern 182 #20,890

Geography

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Where Meekins' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St James, London parishes, Lackford, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars and Irthlingborough. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Tandridge, Maidstone, Wyre, East Northamptonshire and Ealing. 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 St James Suffolk
2 London parishes London 3
3 Lackford Suffolk
4 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire
5 Irthlingborough Northamptonshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Tandridge 010 Tandridge
2 Maidstone 001 Maidstone
3 Wyre 005 Wyre
4 East Northamptonshire 006 East Northamptonshire
5 Ealing 039 Ealing

Forenames

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First names often paired with Meekins

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Meekins

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

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Meekins 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

Meekins 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

Meekins falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Meekins 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 Meekins, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Meekins

The surname Meekins is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational surname, derived from a place name such as Meaking or Meeking. These place names likely come from the Old English words "mece" meaning "sword" and "ing" meaning "meadow" or "enclosure."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Meekins dates back to 1273 in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk, where a William de Mekinge is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls were a census-like survey conducted in England during the reign of King Edward I.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various spellings such as Mekyng, Mekyn, and Mekynge in records from counties like Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex. These variations reflect the fluidity of surname spellings during that era.

The Meekins surname is not found in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landowners and their holdings in England at the time of the Norman Conquest. However, its absence does not preclude the name's existence during that period, as many names were not recorded in that particular survey.

One notable historical figure with the surname Meekins was Thomas Meekins (1592-1675), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.

Another individual of note was John Meekins (1661-1736), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Lincolnshire. He was involved in the wool trade and amassed a considerable fortune, allowing him to purchase several estates in the region.

In the 18th century, a man named William Meekins (1726-1795) gained recognition as a skilled clockmaker and instrument maker based in London. His timepieces were highly regarded and can be found in various museums and private collections today.

Moving into the 19th century, a notable individual with the Meekins surname was Elizabeth Meekins (1807-1888), a pioneering educator in the United States. She founded one of the first schools for African American children in the state of Ohio.

Finally, in the early 20th century, Henry Meekins (1885-1968) was a renowned architect from Yorkshire, England. He designed several notable buildings, including the Huddersfield Town Hall, which is considered one of his most significant works.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Meekins families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Meekins 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. Suffolk leads with 48 Meekins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 32.58x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 48 32.58x
Middlesex 17 1.41x
Leicestershire 16 11.93x
Surrey 15 2.55x
Northamptonshire 10 8.79x
Lincolnshire 6 3.10x
Gloucestershire 4 1.69x
Lancashire 2 0.14x
Buckinghamshire 1 1.37x
Kent 1 0.24x
Norfolk 1 0.54x
Northumberland 1 0.56x
Oxfordshire 1 1.34x
Wiltshire 1 0.93x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bury St Edmunds St James in Suffolk leads with 12 Meekins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 305.34x.

Place Total Index
Bury St Edmunds St James 12 305.34x
Bradfield St Clare 11 11000.00x
Leicester St Margaret 9 27.52x
Irthlingborough 8 714.29x
Lawshall 8 2424.24x
Camberwell 7 9.06x
Oadby 7 972.22x
Lackford 6 8571.43x
St Paul Lincoln 6 1764.71x
Clerkenwell London 5 17.51x
Rotherhithe 5 33.47x
Tostock 5 3333.33x
Bethnal Green London 4 7.61x
Bradfield St George 4 2222.22x
Minchinhampton 4 211.64x
Tottenham 4 20.77x
Broughton In Salford 2 15.24x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 2 72.46x
Isleworth 2 37.17x
Northampton Priory St 2 29.28x
Streatham 2 22.30x
Bracon Ash 1 833.33x
Islington London 1 0.85x
Kensington London 1 1.49x
Newcastle On Tyne St John 1 42.19x
Southwark St Thomas 1 312.50x
Thame 1 73.53x
Trowbridge 1 21.14x
Waddesdon 1 285.71x
Woolwich 1 6.56x

Top female names

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

Name Count
James 8
William 8
Thomas 6
Robert 4
Edward 3
Abraham 2
Alfred 2
Charles 2
Ernest 2
Frederick 2
Harry 2
Richd. 2
Albert 1
Daniel 1
David 1
Frank 1
Fredk. 1
Fredrick 1
George 1
Hubert 1
Jno. 1
John 1
Joseph 1
Reginald 1
Reuben 1
Samuel 1

FAQ

Meekins surname: questions and answers

How common was the Meekins surname in 1881?

In 1881, 126 people were recorded with the Meekins surname. That placed it at #17,245 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Meekins surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 182 in 2016. That gives Meekins a modern rank of #20,890.

What does the Meekins surname mean?

A diminutive form of the Irish surname Meek, meaning "gentle" or "mild-mannered."

What does the Meekins map show?

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