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

Meme, 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 Meme surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Meme in America

Meme is the 81772nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Meme surname appeared 231 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 Meme.

We can also compare 2010 data for Meme 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 Meme

The surname MEME has its origins in medieval England, first appearing in historical records during the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "mæman," which meant to bemoan or lament. This suggests the name may have initially been given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was prone to complaining or mourning.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1279, which mentions a person named John Meme. Another early reference is from the Calendarium Genealogicum, a medieval chronicle, where a Walter Meme is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in 1312.

The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk in East Anglia during the Middle Ages. It is likely that the name originated in this region and then spread to other parts of England over time.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as Meame, Meeme, and Meyme, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings in that era. One notable bearer of the name was Edward Meme, a landowner and lawyer from Suffolk, who was born in 1543 and died in 1612.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a Captain John Meme served in the Parliamentarian army under Oliver Cromwell. He was mentioned in several dispatches and historical accounts of the conflict.

In the 18th century, the name can be found in various parish records and legal documents. For example, a Benjamin Meme was recorded as a merchant in Bristol in 1748, and a Mary Meme was listed as a landowner in Essex in 1782.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname was Sir Matthew Meme, a British naval officer who was born in 1792 and served in several major battles during the Napoleonic Wars. He was knighted for his distinguished service in 1815 and later became a Member of Parliament.

Other notable bearers of the name include William Meme, a renowned landscape painter who lived from 1804 to 1858, and Emily Meme, an author and social reformer active in the late 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Meme

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!