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

Meek, 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 Meek surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Meek in America

Meek is the 2419th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Meek surname appeared 14,970 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Meek.

We can also compare 2010 data for Meek 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 Meek

The surname Meek has its origins in England, first appearing in written records around the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English word "meoc" or "meek," meaning "mild" or "gentle." It likely started as a nickname for someone with a meek or humble demeanor.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, several people with the name Meek or similar spellings like Meke or Mek are listed. This suggests the surname was already well-established by the late 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Meek surname is William le Meke, who is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1196. The use of the Norman French prefix "le" indicates the name had become hereditary by this time.

The Meek surname has also been connected to several place names in England, such as Meek in Staffordshire and Meakes in Bedfordshire. These locations may have influenced the development of the surname in their respective areas.

Notable individuals with the Meek surname throughout history include John Meek (c.1591-1635), an English merchant and Member of Parliament for Sandwich, and Joseph Meek (1810-1868), an American frontier explorer and mountain man known for his travels in the Pacific Northwest.

Other famous Meeks include John Meek (1856-1912), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire, and Mary Meek Ayer (1860-1919), an American educator and philanthropist who founded the Ayer Home for Children and Aged Women in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Alexander Meek (1816-1865), born in Ireland, served as a Union general during the American Civil War and was killed in action at the Battle of Fredericksburg in 1862.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Meek

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

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 Meek 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 Meek 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 Meek was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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