NameCensus.

UK surname

Meggs

Derived from the Old English "mecg" meaning son or youth.

In the 1881 census there were 186 people recorded with the Meggs surname, ranking it #13,448 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 181, ranked #20,955, down from #13,448 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Mary Stratford-le-Bow and St John Hackney. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Hartlepool, Suffolk Coastal and Redbridge.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Meggs is 255 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 2.7%.

1881 census count

186

Ranked #13,448

Modern count

181

2016, ranked #20,955

Peak year

1901

255 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Meggs had 186 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,448 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 181 in 2016, ranked #20,955.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 255 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Meggs surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Meggs surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Meggs 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 121 #15,049
1861 historical 107 #20,008
1881 historical 186 #13,448
1891 historical 202 #14,808
1901 historical 255 #12,965
1911 historical 247 #13,016
1997 modern 198 #17,729
1998 modern 215 #17,306
1999 modern 209 #17,771
2000 modern 217 #17,296
2001 modern 210 #17,425
2002 modern 212 #17,651
2003 modern 204 #17,909
2004 modern 195 #18,500
2005 modern 184 #19,117
2006 modern 190 #18,898
2007 modern 187 #19,271
2008 modern 187 #19,465
2009 modern 191 #19,592
2010 modern 192 #19,960
2011 modern 184 #20,363
2012 modern 179 #20,679
2013 modern 191 #20,124
2014 modern 187 #20,570
2015 modern 184 #20,719
2016 modern 181 #20,955

Geography

Back to top

Where Meggs' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Mary Stratford-le-Bow, St John Hackney and St Matthew Bethnal Green. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Hartlepool, Suffolk Coastal, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Barking and Dagenham. 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 3
2 St Mary Stratford-le-Bow London (East Districts)
3 St John Hackney London (North Districts)
4 St Matthew Bethnal Green London (East Districts)
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Hartlepool 011 Hartlepool
2 Suffolk Coastal 005 Suffolk Coastal
3 Redbridge 007 Redbridge
4 Tower Hamlets 001 Tower Hamlets
5 Barking and Dagenham 013 Barking and Dagenham

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Meggs

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Meggs

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Meggs surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Meggs 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Meggs 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

Meggs is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Meggs falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Meggs

The surname MEGGS originates from England and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "mæg" or "mæge," meaning "kinsman" or "relative." The name was likely initially used as a nickname or a descriptive term for someone who had a close family connection or resembled a family member.

Historical records show that the name MEGGS appeared in various spellings, such as Megges, Meggis, and Meggys, in medieval documents from counties like Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a Robert Megges.

In the 14th century, the MEGGS surname was recorded in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, where a John Meggis was listed. This document provides valuable insight into the distribution of surnames across England during that period.

The MEGGS name also appeared in the Register of the Gild of the Holy Cross in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, in the late 15th century. This register recorded the names of members of the religious guild, indicating the presence of the MEGGS family in the area.

One notable figure bearing the MEGGS surname was Sir Robert Meggs (c. 1490-1557), a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as a Justice of the King's Bench during the reign of King Henry VIII. He was also appointed as a Commissioner for the Suppression of Monasteries, playing a role in the dissolution of religious houses in England.

Another individual of historical significance was Thomas Meggs (c. 1545-1622), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Maldon in Essex during the early 17th century.

In the 16th century, the MEGGS surname was associated with the village of Meggs, located in Gloucestershire. This place name likely contributed to the spelling and usage of the surname in that region.

Other individuals bearing the MEGGS surname include William Meggs (c. 1570-1641), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Somerset, and John Meggs (c. 1600-1670), a Puritan minister who emigrated to New England and served as the pastor of the church in Roxbury, Massachusetts.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Meggs families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Meggs 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 74 Meggs' recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.21x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 74 4.21x
Suffolk 28 13.09x
Kent 19 3.17x
Essex 16 4.62x
Yorkshire 12 0.69x
Lancashire 7 0.34x
Surrey 7 0.82x
Monmouthshire 4 3.15x
Warwickshire 3 0.68x
Gloucestershire 2 0.58x
Oxfordshire 2 1.84x
Worcestershire 2 0.87x
Derbyshire 1 0.36x
Durham 1 0.19x
Somerset 1 0.35x
Sussex 1 0.34x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bow London in Middlesex leads with 26 Meggs' recorded in 1881 and an index of 116.33x.

Place Total Index
Bow London 26 116.33x
Hackney London 18 18.29x
Bethnal Green London 11 14.42x
Shipley 8 88.59x
Leyton 7 117.25x
Long Melford 7 351.76x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 6 149.63x
Kirkdale 6 17.12x
West Ham 6 7.84x
Woolwich 6 27.11x
Lee 5 57.47x
Mile End Old Town 5 18.04x
Nayland 5 925.93x
Bures St Mary 4 769.23x
Chepstow 4 185.19x
Beckenham 3 38.31x
Birmingham 3 2.03x
Camberwell 3 2.68x
Islington London 3 1.76x
Lewisham 3 9.39x
Southwark St John 3 55.87x
Ballingdon Cum Brundon 2 454.55x
Cheltenham 2 7.53x
Deptford St Paul 2 4.33x
Ecclesfield 2 15.67x
Finchley 2 29.72x
Great Barton 2 400.00x
Kings Norton 2 9.73x
Neithrop 2 54.95x
St Marylebone London 2 2.13x
St Pancras London 2 1.42x
Acton 1 285.71x
Bradford 1 2.37x
Bury St Edmunds St James 1 17.51x
Croydon 1 2.11x
Hampstead London 1 3.66x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 1 4.42x
Hoyland Nether 1 23.42x
Ipswich St Margaret 1 13.77x
Kirk Langley 1 243.90x
Little Cornard 1 434.78x
Littlehampton 1 42.37x
Oldham 1 1.49x
Paddington London 1 1.55x
St Botolph Aldersgate 1 49.75x
St George In East 1 8.38x
Walthamstow 1 8.02x
Wellow 1 120.48x
Westminster St James 1 5.54x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 10
Henry 8
John 8
Charles 5
James 4
Joseph 4
Thomas 4
Alfred 3
Arthur 3
George 3
Benjamin 2
Edward 2
Frederick 2
Harry 2
Robert 2
Thos. 2
Abraham 1
Albert 1
Alwyn 1
Andrew 1
Chas. 1
David 1
Edwin 1
Herbert 1
Infant 1
Perceval 1
Philip 1
T.Hugh 1
Walter 1
Willie 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Meggs surname: questions and answers

How common was the Meggs surname in 1881?

In 1881, 186 people were recorded with the Meggs surname. That placed it at #13,448 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Meggs surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 181 in 2016. That gives Meggs a modern rank of #20,955.

What does the Meggs surname mean?

Derived from the Old English "mecg" meaning son or youth.

What does the Meggs map show?

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