2000
#5,243
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.27
Rare Last name
Meacham
From an English place name meaning "homestead or village by a lake," derived from Old English elements mēce and hām.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,782 Americans carry the last name Meacham. That puts it at #5,650 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,539 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meacham surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Meacham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.8K
1 in 50,539
Census rank
#5,650
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,914 bearers of the surname Meacham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5650th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meacham, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meacham
The surname Meacham originated in England during the late medieval period, deriving from the Old English word 'mæce' meaning 'kinsman' or 'relative'. It was a common practice in those times to adopt surnames based on familial relationships or personal characteristics.
Meacham is believed to have been initially coined as a nickname for someone who was closely related to the head of a household or clan. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various English parish records and tax rolls from counties like Oxfordshire and Wiltshire.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Richard Meacham, who was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. Another notable individual was John Meacham, a landowner from Wiltshire, whose name appeared in the Feet of Fines records from 1389.
Over time, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Meacham, Meachem, Meachim, and Meachin, reflecting the inconsistencies in written records and regional dialects of the time. These variations were often interchangeable and did not necessarily denote different branches of the family.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Meacham surname gained prominence in various parts of England. One notable bearer was Thomas Meacham (1589-1656), a English clergyman and writer who served as the Rector of Stanwick in Northamptonshire.
During the colonial era, several Meacham families emigrated from England to the American colonies, particularly to New England and Virginia. One of the earliest recorded settlers was Joseph Meacham, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1635.
Another prominent figure bearing the Meacham name was Colonel Sampson Sheafe Meacham (1735-1810), a New Hampshire-born soldier who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was recognized for his bravery and leadership in several key battles.
In the 19th century, Isaac Meacham (1789-1856), a Quaker minister and abolitionist from Ohio, gained recognition for his advocacy against slavery and his efforts in establishing the Quaker settlement of Queensville in Upper Canada (now Ontario, Canada).
As the Meacham family spread across various regions, they contributed to various fields, including literature, politics, and industry. One notable figure was James Meacham (1810-1856), an American writer and pioneer who documented his travels and adventures in the Pacific Northwest.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meacham
Among Census respondents with the surname Meacham, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Meacham bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Meacham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 5,181
- Black or African American4.5% · 264
- Two or more races3.4% · 204
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 181
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meacham
Meacham appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,615
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,190
+75 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 2.10
Rank movement Down 372 places
2020
#5,650
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,914
-276 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.98
Rank movement Down 35 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,243 | 6,115 | 2.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,615 | 6,190 | 2.10 | +75 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 372 places |
| 2020 | #5,650 | 5,914 | 1.98 | -276 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 35 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Meacham surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,615 | #5,650 | -0.6% |
| Count | 6,190 | 5,914 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.10 | 1.98 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meacham bearers went from 6,190 to 5,914 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 35 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,615 to #5,650.
FAQ
Meacham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meacham?
Name Census estimates that about 6,782 living Americans carry the surname Meacham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,539 residents.
How common is Meacham?
Meacham ranks #5,650 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,914 people with the surname Meacham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,782), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Meacham.
Has Meacham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meacham went from 6,190 recorded bearers to 5,914. That is a decrease of 276 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,615 to #5,650.
What does the Census say about the background of Meacham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meacham, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Meacham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (5,181 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meacham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Black (4.5%), Two or More Races (3.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Meacham (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Meacham mean?
From an English place name meaning "homestead or village by a lake," derived from Old English elements mēce and hām. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Meacham (1.98 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Meacham?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.