2000
#11,737
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,444
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Meaux
A French locational surname indicating an individual originated from the town of Meaux in the Seine-et-Marne department of France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,787 Americans carry the last name Meaux. That puts it at #12,224 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,983 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meaux 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
2.8K
1 in 122,983
Census rank
#12,224
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,430 bearers of the surname Meaux in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12224th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meaux
The surname MEAUX is of French origin, derived from the name of the town of Meaux in the Île-de-France region. It is believed to have first emerged as a surname in the 11th or 12th century, when it was common practice for people to adopt the name of the place they were from as a means of identification.
The earliest known record of the name MEAUX can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that individuals bearing this surname may have migrated from France to England during or shortly after the Norman Conquest.
One notable historical figure with the surname MEAUX was John Meaux (c. 1380-1456), an English prelate who served as Bishop of Ely from 1415 until his death. He was involved in the Council of Constance, a significant event in the resolution of the Western Schism in the Catholic Church.
Another individual of note was Aimery de Meaux (c. 1200-1259), a French nobleman and crusader who participated in the Seventh Crusade led by King Louis IX of France. He was taken prisoner during the crusade and spent several years in captivity before being ransomed.
In the 14th century, the surname MEAUX appeared in various spellings, such as Meaux, Meux, and Mews, reflecting the evolution of language and regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.
A prominent figure from the 16th century was André de Meaux (c. 1520-1585), a French Protestant theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the French Reformation. He was a prolific writer and published several works advocating for Protestant doctrines.
In the 17th century, Jean de Meaux (1617-1683) was a French Catholic theologian and preacher who served as the Bishop of Vence. He was known for his influential sermons and writings on theological topics.
Throughout history, the surname MEAUX has been associated with various individuals from different walks of life, including clergy, nobility, and scholars, reflecting its French origins and the migration of those bearing this name across Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meaux
Among Census respondents with the surname Meaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Meaux 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 Meaux surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.7% · 2,010
- Black or African American10.0% · 242
- Two or more races3.3% · 79
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meaux
Meaux 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
#12,174
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,560
+116 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 437 places
2020
#12,224
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,430
-130 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 50 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,737 | 2,444 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,174 | 2,560 | 0.87 | +116 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 437 places |
| 2020 | #12,224 | 2,430 | 0.81 | -130 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 50 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 Meaux 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 | #12,174 | #12,224 | -0.4% |
| Count | 2,560 | 2,430 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.81 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meaux bearers went from 2,560 to 2,430 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 50 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,174 to #12,224.
FAQ
Meaux surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meaux?
Name Census estimates that about 2,787 living Americans carry the surname Meaux. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,983 residents.
How common is Meaux?
Meaux ranks #12,224 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 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 2,430 people with the surname Meaux. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,787), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 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 Meaux.
Has Meaux become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meaux went from 2,560 recorded bearers to 2,430. That is a decrease of 130 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,174 to #12,224.
What does the Census say about the background of Meaux?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Meaux in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.7% (2,010 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meaux appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.7%), Black (10.0%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Meaux (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 Meaux mean?
A French locational surname indicating an individual originated from the town of Meaux in the Seine-et-Marne department of France. 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 Meaux (0.81 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 share the surname Meaux?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.