2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Meidam
A contracted surname derived from the Biblical place name Midian.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Meidam. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meidam 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Meidam in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meidam, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meidam
The surname Meidam is of Dutch origin, dating back to the 17th century. It is believed to have originated from the town of Meidum, located in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The name itself is derived from the Dutch words "mei" meaning "may" and "dam" referring to a dam or dike, suggesting a possible connection to the location or occupation of the earliest bearers of the name.
One of the earliest records of the surname Meidam can be found in the Dutch Reformed Church records of the late 1600s, where the name appears as a variant spelling, "Meydam". This variant spelling may have arisen due to regional dialects or linguistic variations at the time.
In the 18th century, the name Meidam appeared in various municipal records and tax registers across the Netherlands, particularly in the regions of South Holland and Utrecht. One notable bearer of the name during this period was Johannes Meidam (1712-1783), a merchant and ship owner from Rotterdam.
The 19th century saw the migration of many Dutch families, including those bearing the surname Meidam, to other parts of the world, such as North America and South Africa. One prominent individual with this surname was Adriaan Meidam (1829-1907), a Dutch-born farmer and landowner who settled in the Cape Colony (now part of South Africa) in the mid-1800s.
Another notable figure was Pieter Meidam (1867-1941), a Dutch architect and urban planner who was instrumental in the development of several cities in the Netherlands, including Amsterdam and Rotterdam. His contributions to urban planning and architectural design have left a lasting impact on the Dutch cityscape.
Moving into the 20th century, the name Meidam continued to be represented across various fields. Jan Meidam (1912-1998) was a Dutch politician and member of the House of Representatives, serving from 1956 to 1977. He played a significant role in shaping various policies and laws during his tenure.
In the realm of sports, Willem Meidam (1925-2003) was a renowned Dutch footballer who played as a striker for several clubs, including Feyenoord and the Dutch national team. He was part of the Netherlands squad that participated in the 1948 Summer Olympics in London.
It is worth noting that while the surname Meidam may not be among the most common surnames in the Netherlands or globally, it has a rich history and has been borne by individuals who have made notable contributions in various areas throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meidam
Among Census respondents with the surname Meidam, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Meidam 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 Meidam surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 112
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meidam
Meidam 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+9 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 612 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-6 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,821 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 612 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 7,821 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 Meidam 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 | #136,449 | #144,270 | -5.7% |
| Count | 123 | 117 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meidam bearers went from 123 to 117 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 7,821 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #144,270.
FAQ
Meidam surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meidam?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Meidam. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Meidam?
Meidam ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Meidam. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Meidam.
Has Meidam become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meidam went from 123 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Meidam?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meidam, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (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 Meidam in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meidam appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Black (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 Meidam (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 Meidam mean?
A contracted surname derived from the Biblical place name Midian. 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 Meidam (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 Meidam?
Want to know how many people have the surname Meidam? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.