2000
#1,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,264
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.88
Uncommon Last name
Meade
Derived from the Irish Gaelic "Miadhaigh," meaning "honorable" or "proud," or referring to a meadow-dweller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,364 Americans carry the last name Meade. That puts it at #1,647 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,068 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meade 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 Meade with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,068
Census rank
#1,647
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,247 bearers of the surname Meade in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1647th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meade, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meade
The surname Meade is of English origin, deriving from an Old English word "mæd" meaning meadow or grassland. It is thought to have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near or worked on a meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Mede" in various counties across England, including Essex, Hertfordshire, and Wiltshire.
In the 13th century, the name was often spelled "Mede" or "Meade," and it was commonly found in areas such as Norfolk, Suffolk, and Kent. During this period, the name was also associated with various place names, such as Meade's Farm in Essex and Meadow Court in Kent.
Notable individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Meade include George Meade (1815-1872), a Union general during the American Civil War who commanded the Army of the Potomac and led the victory at the Battle of Gettysburg. Another prominent figure was Edward Meade (1629-1705), an English clergyman and author who wrote several theological works.
In the 16th century, Robert Meade (1553-1633) was an English merchant and member of the Virginia Company, playing a significant role in the early colonization of America. Meanwhile, Richard Meade (1670-1730) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Maryland from 1720 to 1726.
The name Meade has also been associated with various noble families throughout British history. For instance, the Earls of Clanwilliam trace their lineage back to Sir John Meade (1615-1683), a prominent soldier and landowner in Ireland.
While the spelling "Meade" is the most common form of the surname today, variations such as "Mead," "Meed," and "Mede" have also been documented historically. Regardless of the spelling, the name continues to hold a strong connection to its Old English roots and its association with meadows and grasslands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meade
Among Census respondents with the surname Meade, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Meade 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 Meade surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.8% · 17,809
- Black or African American7.4% · 1,566
- Two or more races3.7% · 796
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 791
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 164
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 121
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meade
Meade 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
#1,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,091
+827 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 7.49
Rank movement Down 83 places
2020
#1,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,247
-844 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 7.11
Rank movement Down 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,548 | 21,264 | 7.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,631 | 22,091 | 7.49 | +827 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 83 places |
| 2020 | #1,647 | 21,247 | 7.11 | -844 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 16 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 Meade 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 | #1,631 | #1,647 | -1.0% |
| Count | 22,091 | 21,247 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 7.49 | 7.11 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meade bearers went from 22,091 to 21,247 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,631 to #1,647.
FAQ
Meade surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meade?
Name Census estimates that about 24,364 living Americans carry the surname Meade. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,068 residents.
How common is Meade?
Meade ranks #1,647 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,247 people with the surname Meade. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,364), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Meade.
Has Meade become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meade went from 22,091 recorded bearers to 21,247. That is a decrease of 844 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,631 to #1,647.
What does the Census say about the background of Meade?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meade, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Meade in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (17,809 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meade appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.8%), Black (7.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Meade (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 Meade mean?
Derived from the Irish Gaelic "Miadhaigh," meaning "honorable" or "proud," or referring to a meadow-dweller. 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 Meade (7.11 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 Meade?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.