2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Meden
From the Muslim name Meden, meaning one who is from the city of Medina.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Meden. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meden 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Meden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meden, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meden
The surname Meden has its origins in medieval England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from a place name, specifically the village of Meden in Derbyshire, which was recorded as "Medene" in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name is thought to stem from the Old English word "mædene," meaning "meadow."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Meden surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1204, where a certain William de Medene is mentioned. This suggests that the name had already become established as a hereditary surname by the early 13th century.
In the 14th century, the Meden family held lands in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, as evidenced by records such as the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 and the Court Rolls of Mansfield in 1369. During this period, variations in spelling were common, with forms like "Medyn," "Medeyn," and "Medene" appearing in historical documents.
A notable figure bearing the Meden name was Sir John Meden, who lived in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. He served as the Sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire in 1395 and was knighted by King Henry IV in 1399. Sir John's son, also named John Meden, was a member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire in 1421.
In the 16th century, the Meden family continued to hold prominence in the Midlands region of England. William Meden, born around 1510, was a prominent landowner and served as a Justice of the Peace in Nottinghamshire. His son, Richard Meden (1555-1628), was a successful lawyer and held the position of Recorder of Nottingham.
Another notable bearer of the Meden surname was Thomas Meden, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was a clergyman and served as the Rector of Stoke Bardolph in Nottinghamshire from 1594 until his death in 1624.
Over the centuries, the Meden surname spread beyond its original heartland in the Midlands, with branches of the family establishing themselves in various parts of England and, later, in other parts of the British Isles and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meden
Among Census respondents with the surname Meden, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Meden 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 Meden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino8.3% · 9
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meden
Meden 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
+3 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,716 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-23 bearers (-17.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 5,716 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -23 bearers (-17.6%) | Down 21,110 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 Meden 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 | #129,825 | #150,935 | -16.3% |
| Count | 131 | 108 | -17.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meden bearers went from 131 to 108 (-17.6% change). The surname moved down 21,110 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #150,935.
FAQ
Meden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meden?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Meden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Meden?
Meden ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 108 people with the surname Meden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Meden.
Has Meden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meden went from 131 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 23 (-17.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Meden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meden, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Meden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (8.3%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Meden (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 Meden mean?
From the Muslim name Meden, meaning one who is from the city of Medina. 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 Meden (0.04 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 Meden?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Meden on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.