2000
#12,624
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,250
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Meads
An English occupational surname referring to a meadow or grassland, or one who lived near or worked in such an area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,440 Americans carry the last name Meads. That puts it at #13,630 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meads 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 Meads with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 140,473
Census rank
#13,630
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,128 bearers of the surname Meads in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13630th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meads, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meads
The surname Meads is an English occupational name that originated in the medieval period. It derived from the Old English word "mæd," meaning meadow or grassland. Those with the surname Meads were likely involved in tending or living near meadows or pastures.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various county records across England. One of the earliest known bearers was Robert de la Mede, mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275. The prefix "de la" indicates the topographic origin of the name.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a certain William atte Mede was recorded in Oxfordshire. The use of "atte" in this spelling further reinforces the locational connection of the name to meadows or grasslands. Other early spellings included Mede, Meede, and Meades, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.
The Meads surname also appears in the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as a place name in various counties, such as Berkshire and Hampshire. These place names likely influenced the adoption of the surname by those residing in or near these locations.
Notable historical figures with the surname Meads include:
1. Richard Meades (1586-1629), an English clergyman and scholar who served as a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.
2. William Meade (1789-1862), an American Episcopal bishop and prominent figure in the Episcopal Church in Virginia.
3. George Gordon Meade (1815-1872), a celebrated American military officer who commanded the Union forces at the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War.
4. Everard Meade (1590-1658), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire in the 17th century.
5. Robert Meade (1625-1693), an English soldier and landowner who served as Governor of the English colony of Maryland from 1684 to 1689.
While the surname Meads originated as an occupational name related to meadows and grasslands, it has since become a widespread family name, particularly in regions of England and the United States where its early bearers settled.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meads
Among Census respondents with the surname Meads, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Meads 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 Meads surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.1% · 1,704
- Black or African American14.3% · 305
- Two or more races3.1% · 66
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meads
Meads 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
#13,985
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,155
-95 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 1,361 places
2020
#13,630
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,128
-27 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 355 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,624 | 2,250 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,985 | 2,155 | 0.73 | -95 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 1,361 places |
| 2020 | #13,630 | 2,128 | 0.71 | -27 bearers (-1.3%) | Up 355 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 Meads 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 | #13,985 | #13,630 | 2.5% |
| Count | 2,155 | 2,128 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.71 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meads bearers went from 2,155 to 2,128 (-1.3% change). The surname moved up 355 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,985 to #13,630.
FAQ
Meads surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meads?
Name Census estimates that about 2,440 living Americans carry the surname Meads. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,473 residents.
How common is Meads?
Meads ranks #13,630 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,128 people with the surname Meads. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,440), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Meads.
Has Meads become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meads went from 2,155 recorded bearers to 2,128. That is a decrease of 27 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,985 to #13,630.
What does the Census say about the background of Meads?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meads, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Meads in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.1% (1,704 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meads appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.1%), Black (14.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Meads (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 Meads mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a meadow or grassland, or one who lived near or worked in such an area. 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 Meads (0.71 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 Americans have the surname Meads?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.