NameCensus.

UK surname

Meeson

In the 1881 census there were 354 people recorded with the Meeson surname, ranking it #8,701 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 623, ranked #8,461, up from #8,701 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Stafford St Mary and St Chad, Tillington, Wombridge and Shiffnal. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Walsall, Leeds and Wigan.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Meeson is 685 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 76.0%.

1881 census count

354

Ranked #8,701

Modern count

623

2016, ranked #8,461

Peak year

2000

685 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Meeson had 354 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,701 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 623 in 2016, ranked #8,461.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 515 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Meeson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Meeson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Meeson 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 285 #7,952
1861 historical 175 #13,409
1881 historical 354 #8,701
1891 historical 365 #9,526
1901 historical 477 #8,343
1911 historical 515 #7,658
1997 modern 629 #7,868
1998 modern 663 #7,791
1999 modern 676 #7,718
2000 modern 685 #7,618
2001 modern 645 #7,844
2002 modern 652 #7,929
2003 modern 631 #8,001
2004 modern 617 #8,178
2005 modern 590 #8,378
2006 modern 587 #8,420
2007 modern 601 #8,349
2008 modern 608 #8,320
2009 modern 634 #8,232
2010 modern 660 #8,142
2011 modern 648 #8,171
2012 modern 614 #8,453
2013 modern 631 #8,407
2014 modern 638 #8,380
2015 modern 632 #8,380
2016 modern 623 #8,461

Geography

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Where Meesons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Stafford St Mary and St Chad, Tillington, Wombridge, Shiffnal, Sheffield and Walsall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Walsall, Leeds and Wigan. 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 Stafford St Mary and St Chad, Tillington Staffordshire
2 Wombridge Shropshire
3 Shiffnal Shropshire
4 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Walsall Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Walsall 013 Walsall
2 Leeds 101 Leeds
3 Wigan 031 Wigan
4 Walsall 018 Walsall
5 Walsall 020 Walsall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Meeson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Meeson

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Meeson 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

Meeson is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Meeson 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 Meeson 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 Meeson, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Meeson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Meeson 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. Staffordshire leads with 129 Meesons recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.07x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 129 11.07x
Warwickshire 46 5.28x
Middlesex 41 1.19x
Shropshire 41 13.74x
Yorkshire 26 0.76x
Lancashire 25 0.61x
Essex 15 2.20x
Kent 9 0.76x
Cheshire 5 0.66x
Aberdeenshire 3 0.94x
Somerset 3 0.54x
Lincolnshire 2 0.36x
Midlothian 2 0.43x
Worcestershire 2 0.44x
Angus 1 0.31x
Cumberland 1 0.34x
Hampshire 1 0.14x
Lanarkshire 1 0.09x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.21x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Walsall Foreign in Staffordshire leads with 32 Meesons recorded in 1881 and an index of 53.15x.

Place Total Index
Walsall Foreign 32 53.15x
Birmingham 21 7.24x
Shifnal 17 209.88x
Walsall Borough 13 143.65x
Aston 11 4.59x
Leamington Priors 11 51.33x
Salford 9 7.47x
Brightside Bierlow 8 11.92x
Cannock 8 39.33x
Leeds 8 4.14x
Tipton 8 22.42x
Stone 7 46.95x
Wolstanton Chatterly 7 583.33x
Wolverhampton 7 7.81x
Wombridge 7 190.22x
Islington London 6 1.79x
Lewisham 6 9.55x
Shoreditch London 6 4.01x
Teddington London 6 76.73x
Brockton 5 1923.08x
Frodsham 5 169.49x
Marston 5 632.91x
Norton Canes 5 117.65x
Shrewsbury St Chad 5 47.76x
Toxteth Park 5 3.60x
Willenhall 5 22.90x
Castle Church 4 57.06x
Chelsea London 4 3.84x
Ecclesall Bierlow 4 5.75x
Enfield 4 17.65x
Everton 4 3.06x
Liverpool 4 1.61x
Penkridge 4 132.89x
Rawreth 4 1025.64x
Rettendon 4 470.59x
Sheffield 4 3.67x
Stafford St Chad 4 740.74x
Stafford St Mary 4 24.24x
Stanton Upon Hine Heath 4 506.33x
Wednesfield 4 23.32x
Gartly 3 285.71x
Hampstead London 3 5.58x
Nynehead 3 789.47x
Quatt 3 731.71x
Rochford 3 151.52x
St Pancras London 3 1.08x
Sutton Coldfield 3 32.79x
Brewood 2 59.52x
Dagenham 2 49.26x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 2 1.07x
Gainsborough 2 15.36x
Greenwich 2 3.64x
Hackney London 2 1.03x
Kings Norton 2 4.95x
Lichfield St Michael 2 54.64x
Nether Hallam 2 4.32x
Spitalfields London 2 7.70x
St George Hanover 2 4.44x
West Ham 2 1.33x
Worthen 2 63.09x
Aldershot 1 4.22x
Bury 1 2.14x
Childs Ercall 1 192.31x
Lee 1 5.84x
Liff Benvie 1 2.06x
Maryhill 1 4.57x
Norton In Hales 1 227.27x
Nottingham St Mary 1 0.83x
Orton 1 185.19x
Paddington London 1 0.79x
Pendlebury 1 11.56x
Rushall 1 14.58x
Shrewsbury Holy Cross 1 30.30x
St Marylebone London 1 0.54x
Tillington 1 312.50x
Wednesbury 1 3.43x
West Derby 1 0.83x
Westminster St John 1 2.38x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 21
Sarah 14
Elizabeth 11
Ellen 11
Annie 9
Eliza 8
Alice 7
Clara 7
Ann 6
Martha 6
Emily 5
Florence 5
Anne 4
Hannah 4
Lucy 4
Charlotte 3
Ada 2
Caroline 2
Catherine 2
Elizth. 2
Fanny 2
Harriett 2
Jane 2
Kate 2
Ruth 2
Eleanor 1
Elizath. 1
Emm 1
Emma 1
Frances 1
Francis 1
Gertrude 1
Harriet 1
Henrietta 1
Ida 1
Isabela 1
Jessie 1
Judith 1
Lizzie 1
Lydia 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Miriam 1
Phoebe 1
Prudence 1
Rachael 1
Rosa 1
Rosannah 1
Rose 1
Urania 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 27
William 21
Charles 15
Edward 9
George 9
James 9
Henry 8
Richard 8
Thomas 8
Arthur 7
Alfred 6
Joseph 6
Samuel 5
Albert 3
Frederick 3
Walter 3
Frank 2
Harry 2
Wm. 2
Benjamin 1
Chas 1
Cornelius 1
David 1
Edwd. 1
Edwin 1
Enoch 1
Eustace 1
Hary 1
Jesse 1
Lenard 1
Philip 1
Ricd. 1
Robt 1
Stafford 1
Thos. 1
Thos.R. 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Meeson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Meeson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 354 people were recorded with the Meeson surname. That placed it at #8,701 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Meeson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 623 in 2016. That gives Meeson a modern rank of #8,461.

What does the Meeson map show?

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