Find out how popular the last name Meak is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Meak.

Meak, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Meak surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Meak in America

Meak is the 104156th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Meak surname appeared 172 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Meak.

We can also compare 2010 data for Meak to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Meak

The surname MEAK is of English origin, tracing back to the medieval period around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "meoc," which means "meek" or "mild." This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive nickname given to someone with a gentle or humble demeanor.

MEAK is thought to have originated in the counties of Gloucestershire and Worcestershire in the West Midlands region of England. Some of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in parish records and tax rolls from these areas, often appearing with variations in spelling such as Meek, Meeke, or Meke.

One of the earliest known bearers of this name was John Meke, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. Another early record comes from the Gloucestershire Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334, which lists a Roger le Meke.

While MEAK does not appear in the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, the name may have connections to various place names in the West Midlands region, such as Meek's Farm in Gloucestershire or Meek's Hill in Worcestershire. These place names could potentially have influenced the surname's evolution.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname MEAK. One example is Sir William Meek (c. 1620-1679), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire during the reign of Charles II. Another is John Meak (1789-1863), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy and participated in the Napoleonic Wars.

Other notable individuals with this surname include Charles Meek (1835-1910), an American businessman and politician who served as the 14th Governor of Ohio, and Alexander Beaufort Meek (1801-1865), an American writer and lawyer who authored works on Native American history and culture.

Additionally, Andrew Greer Meak (1837-1897) was a Scottish-born Australian politician and prominent figure in the early history of Queensland, serving as a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly in the late 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Meak

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Meak.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Meak was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Meak has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Meak was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Meak, please contact us.

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