Meddie
A feminine diminutive form of the name Medora, of Greek origin meaning "gift of prudence".
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Meddie. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 77.1% of registrations being female. The average person named Meddie today is around 127 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Meddie births was 1918 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Meddie. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Meddie is about 127 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Meddies were born before 1909.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Meddie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1918
12 babies that year
Average age
127
years old
1931 SSA rank
#3,637
Tracked since 1886
Gender
Gender distribution for Meddie
Meddie is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 48 total registrations, 11 (22.9%) were male and 37 (77.1%) were female.
Meddie as a male name
- Ranked #3,637 in 1931
- 6 male births in 1931
- Peak: 1931 (6 births)
Meddie as a female name
- Ranked #5,056 in 1929
- 5 female births in 1929
- Peak: 1918 (12 births)
Popularity
Meddie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Meddie from the 1880s through to the 1930s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 20 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Meddie by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Meddie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Meddie
The name Meddie is believed to have originated from the Middle English word "mede," meaning "meadow" or "grassland." Its roots can be traced back to the Old English "mæd," which shares a similar meaning. This name likely emerged in England during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Meddie can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England compiled in 1086 under the directive of William the Conqueror. The name appears as a surname, possibly referring to someone who lived near or owned a meadow.
In the 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer, the renowned English poet, made reference to a character named Meddie in his literary work, "The Canterbury Tales." This literary mention suggests that the name was in use during Chaucer's time and held a certain level of recognition.
During the Renaissance period, the name Meddie gained popularity among the nobility and upper classes in England. Historical records show a Meddie Willoughby, born in 1520, who was a prominent figure in the court of King Henry VIII and served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine of Aragon.
In the 17th century, Meddie Browne (1590-1654) was a notable English scholar and theologian who wrote extensively on religious matters and held influential positions within the Church of England.
Another notable figure was Meddie Cavendish (1624-1673), a prominent English noblewoman and writer who was a prominent figure in the literary circles of the time. Her works, including plays and poems, were widely acclaimed during her lifetime.
Moving into the 18th century, Meddie Austen (1701-1785) was a notable ancestor of the famous novelist Jane Austen. She was a respected member of the gentry and played a significant role in shaping the family's literary traditions.
While the name Meddie has roots tracing back to medieval England, its usage has become less common in modern times, although it still retains a certain charm and historical significance.
People
Meddie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Meddie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Meddie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Meddie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Meddie going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Meddie a common name?
We classify Meddie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 48 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Meddie most popular?
The single biggest year for Meddie was 1918, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Meddie is about 127 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Meddie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Meddie a female name?
Yes, 77.1% of people registered as Meddie in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Meddie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Meddie in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Meddie can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Meddie?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.