NameCensus.

UK surname

Meggitt

A locational surname derived from the place name Meggitt near Thirsk in North Yorkshire.

In the 1881 census there were 293 people recorded with the Meggitt surname, ranking it #9,884 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 286, ranked #15,240, down from #9,884 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hull Holy Trinity, Boston (incl. Boston allotments) and Hatfield, Fishlake, Thorne, Crowle (Eastoft). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Lincolnshire and Rotherham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Meggitt is 378 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 2.4%.

1881 census count

293

Ranked #9,884

Modern count

286

2016, ranked #15,240

Peak year

1901

378 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Meggitt had 293 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,884 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 286 in 2016, ranked #15,240.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 378 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Meggitt surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Meggitt surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Meggitt 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 185 #11,077
1861 historical 167 #13,956
1881 historical 293 #9,884
1891 historical 302 #11,058
1901 historical 378 #9,862
1911 historical 371 #9,830
1997 modern 293 #13,736
1998 modern 307 #13,690
1999 modern 305 #13,808
2000 modern 309 #13,651
2001 modern 302 #13,668
2002 modern 316 #13,532
2003 modern 302 #13,752
2004 modern 286 #14,312
2005 modern 286 #14,242
2006 modern 292 #14,148
2007 modern 288 #14,428
2008 modern 281 #14,782
2009 modern 286 #14,910
2010 modern 290 #15,096
2011 modern 279 #15,353
2012 modern 291 #14,806
2013 modern 296 #14,876
2014 modern 296 #14,982
2015 modern 290 #15,117
2016 modern 286 #15,240

Geography

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Where Meggitts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hull Holy Trinity, Boston (incl. Boston allotments), Hatfield, Fishlake, Thorne, Crowle (Eastoft), Crowle and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Lincolnshire and Rotherham. 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 Hull Holy Trinity Yorkshire, East Riding
2 Boston (incl. Boston allotments) Lincolnshire
3 Hatfield, Fishlake, Thorne, Crowle (Eastoft) Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Crowle Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Lincolnshire 006 North Lincolnshire
2 Rotherham 020 Rotherham
3 Rotherham 002 Rotherham
4 Rotherham 003 Rotherham
5 Rotherham 013 Rotherham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Meggitt

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Meggitt

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

Young Families in Industrial Towns

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

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

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Meggitt is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. 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 very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Meggitt 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

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

Meaning and origin of Meggitt

The surname Meggitt is of English origin, deriving from the ancient Olde English pre 7th century words "meg" meaning great or mighty, and "geat" meaning a path or road. Originally spelled as Megget or Meggat, the name likely referred to someone living near a major roadway or path.

The earliest known recording of the surname dates back to the Hundredorum Rolls of Yorkshire in 1273, where it appears as William del Meggate. Early examples of place names associated with the surname include Meggat Water in the Scottish Borders and Meggitt Lane in Yorkshire.

In the famous Domesday Book of 1086, compiled by order of William the Conqueror, there are no direct references to the surname Meggitt. However, variations of the place name Meggat are listed, such as Meggetfeld in Yorkshire.

Notable individuals with the surname Meggitt throughout history include John Meggitt (c.1601-1679), an English landowner and member of the gentry from Yorkshire. Records also show a Thomas Meggitt (1733-1804) who was a prosperous merchant and cloth manufacturer in Leeds.

Sir Philip Hunloke Meggitt (1887-1969) was a highly regarded English civil engineer and industrialist, serving as president of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers from 1944 to 1945. He was knighted in 1941 for his services to the aircraft industry during World War II.

Phyllis Meggitt (1907-1993) was a British writer and poet, best known for her works on rural life and nature. Her books include "The Golden Harvest" published in 1949 and "The Flower of May" in 1965.

In more recent times, Dr. Terry Meggitt (1947-2019) gained recognition as a leading aerospace engineer and was awarded an OBE in 2012 for services to the aviation industry and exports.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Meggitt families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Meggitt 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. Yorkshire leads with 135 Meggitts recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.73x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 135 4.73x
Lincolnshire 97 21.08x
Nottinghamshire 28 7.22x
Middlesex 13 0.45x
Lancashire 7 0.21x
Staffordshire 6 0.62x
Hampshire 3 0.51x
Surrey 3 0.21x
Royal Navy 2 5.83x
Cumberland 1 0.40x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Boston in Lincolnshire leads with 31 Meggitts recorded in 1881 and an index of 222.06x.

Place Total Index
Boston 31 222.06x
Mansfield 21 156.48x
Sculcoates 19 42.03x
Holy Trinity 15 21.87x
Barton St Mary 13 562.77x
Crowle 13 464.29x
Saxelby With Ingleby 13 1111.11x
Holy Trinity St Mary 10 230.41x
Brightside Bierlow 8 14.30x
Snaith Cowick 8 467.84x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 7 67.57x
Fishlake 7 1296.30x
Gainsborough 7 64.52x
Sutton St Mary 7 160.92x
Twickenham 7 56.73x
Broughton In Salford 6 19.22x
Wolverhampton 6 8.03x
Baldersby 5 1724.14x
Great Grimsby 5 17.12x
Harworth 5 925.93x
Sheffield 5 5.51x
St Luke London 5 10.83x
Welbourn 5 909.09x
Ecclesall Bierlow 4 6.90x
Hook 4 63.80x
Kimberworth 4 25.27x
Nether Hallam 4 10.37x
South Ferriby 4 547.95x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 4 30.19x
Corringham 3 410.96x
Portsea 3 2.60x
Richmond 3 15.27x
Rotherham 3 18.66x
Thorne 3 84.75x
Belton 2 106.95x
Goole 2 41.84x
Haxey 2 102.56x
Hunmanby 2 150.38x
Misterton 2 166.67x
Newington 2 25.48x
Royal Navy 2 6.82x
Althorpe 1 95.24x
Balby Cum Hexthorpe 1 29.41x
Brigham 1 85.47x
Broughton 1 77.52x
Clee With Weelsby 1 9.93x
Doncaster 1 4.80x
Drypool 1 22.88x
Horncastle 1 21.05x
Keighley 1 3.29x
Laughton In Gainsborough 1 344.83x
Liversedge 1 7.88x
St Mary 1 52.36x
St Pancras London 1 0.43x
West Derby 1 1.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 23
George 21
William 16
Henry 9
Charles 7
Samuel 7
Thomas 7
Harry 6
Joseph 6
Arthur 4
Elijah 4
Frank 4
Herbert 3
Richard 3
Robert 3
Walter 3
Alfred 2
Fred 2
James 2
Wm. 2
Albert 1
Chrystal 1
David 1
Eli 1
Elwick 1
Enoch 1
Ernest 1
Fredk.W. 1
Hargreave 1
Harold 1
Hugh 1
Jno.E. 1
Jno.Thos. 1
Jonas 1
Loxley 1
Mark 1
Robt. 1
Robt.G. 1
Robt.Wm. 1
Saml. 1
Sydney 1
Thornton 1
Tom 1
W.M. 1

FAQ

Meggitt surname: questions and answers

How common was the Meggitt surname in 1881?

In 1881, 293 people were recorded with the Meggitt surname. That placed it at #9,884 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Meggitt surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 286 in 2016. That gives Meggitt a modern rank of #15,240.

What does the Meggitt surname mean?

A locational surname derived from the place name Meggitt near Thirsk in North Yorkshire.

What does the Meggitt map show?

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