2000
#8,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,595
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.33
Rare Last name
Meadors
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "meadow" or "grassland."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,048 Americans carry the last name Meadors. That puts it at #8,900 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,673 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meadors 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.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 84,673
Census rank
#8,900
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,530 bearers of the surname Meadors in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8900th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meadors, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meadors
The surname Meadors is of English origin, emerging from the Middle Ages. It is a locational name, derived from a place called Meadows or Meadeways, which refers to grasslands or meadows. The name likely originated in one of the numerous locations in England bearing this name.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Meadors dates back to the 14th century. In the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, a John atte Medewes is mentioned, indicating the name's association with meadows or grasslands.
In the 15th century, the surname appears in various spellings, such as Medewes, Meadows, and Medeways, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling. A notable example is William Medewes, born in 1432 in Gloucestershire, who served as a member of the local gentry.
The Meadors surname gained prominence during the Tudor period. Sir John Meadows (1489-1556) was a renowned lawyer and Member of Parliament for Derbyshire in the 1540s. He played a significant role in the dissolution of monasteries under King Henry VIII.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, the Meadors family produced several notable figures. Captain Thomas Meadors (1611-1676) was a Royalist soldier who fought for King Charles I, while his cousin, Richard Meadors (1618-1692), was a Puritan and supported the Parliamentarian cause.
In the 18th century, the name spread to other parts of the British Isles. James Meadors (1725-1798), a Scottish merchant, established a successful trading company in Glasgow, contributing to the city's economic growth.
As the British Empire expanded, the Meadors surname traveled across the globe. One notable figure was Sir George Meadors (1780-1853), a British colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the Bahamas from 1837 to 1842.
The 19th century saw the rise of several prominent individuals bearing the Meadors surname. William Meadors (1819-1892) was an English author and poet, known for his works on nature and rural life. Meanwhile, in the United States, John Meadors (1845-1923) was a respected lawyer and judge in Texas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meadors
Among Census respondents with the surname Meadors, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Meadors 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 Meadors surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 2,939
- Black or African American9.0% · 318
- Two or more races4.0% · 141
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 93
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meadors
Meadors 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
#8,834
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,709
+114 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 391 places
2020
#8,900
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,530
-179 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 66 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,443 | 3,595 | 1.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,834 | 3,709 | 1.26 | +114 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 391 places |
| 2020 | #8,900 | 3,530 | 1.18 | -179 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 66 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 Meadors 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 | #8,834 | #8,900 | -0.7% |
| Count | 3,709 | 3,530 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.26 | 1.18 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meadors bearers went from 3,709 to 3,530 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 66 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,834 to #8,900.
FAQ
Meadors surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meadors?
Name Census estimates that about 4,048 living Americans carry the surname Meadors. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,673 residents.
How common is Meadors?
Meadors ranks #8,900 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,530 people with the surname Meadors. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,048), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Meadors.
Has Meadors become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meadors went from 3,709 recorded bearers to 3,530. That is a decrease of 179 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,834 to #8,900.
What does the Census say about the background of Meadors?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meadors, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Meadors in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (2,939 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meadors appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Black (9.0%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Meadors (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 Meadors mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "meadow" or "grassland." 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 Meadors (1.18 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 common is the surname Meadors?
You can see how many people have the last name Meadors on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.