2000
#14,482
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,889
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Merideth
Derived from the Welsh given name Meredydd, meaning "great lord" or "sea lord."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,195 Americans carry the last name Merideth. That puts it at #14,862 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 156,152 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Merideth 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Merideth with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 156,152
Census rank
#14,862
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,914 bearers of the surname Merideth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14862nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Merideth, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Merideth
The surname Merideth originated in Wales during the medieval period, deriving from the Old Welsh personal name "Meredydd" or "Meredith." This name is composed of the elements "mer" meaning "great" or "illustrious" and "iddyn" meaning "lord" or "prince." As such, the name Merideth likely referred to someone of high status or nobility.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Meredic." This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a comprehensive survey of landholdings throughout England and parts of Wales.
During the 12th century, the name Merideth was particularly prevalent in the Welsh counties of Glamorgan, Monmouthshire, and Pembrokeshire. Historical records from this period show variations in spelling, such as "Meredith," "Meredyth," and "Mereddyth."
In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the name was David Merideth, a Welsh landowner and nobleman who played a significant role in the Welsh resistance against English rule. He was born around 1220 and was a staunch supporter of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last prince of an independent Wales.
Another prominent individual was Sir William Merideth, a Welsh soldier and landowner who lived in the 15th century. He fought alongside Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 and was later granted lands in Pembrokeshire for his service.
In the 16th century, the name Merideth appeared in the form of "Meredyth" in the Muster Rolls of Pembrokeshire, which were records of able-bodied men fit for military service. One such individual listed was John Meredyth, a landowner from Haverfordwest, born around 1530.
Moving into the 17th century, the name Merideth gained recognition through the work of William Merideth, a Welsh poet and writer born in 1620. He is best known for his collection of poems titled "The Cambrian Muse," published in 1671.
In the 19th century, the surname Merideth was associated with several notable figures, including John Merideth (1788-1853), a Welsh industrialist and entrepreneur who established successful coal mining operations in South Wales.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Merideth
Among Census respondents with the surname Merideth, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Merideth 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 Merideth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.9% · 1,587
- Black or African American8.4% · 160
- Two or more races4.5% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Merideth
Merideth 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
#15,020
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,966
+77 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 538 places
2020
#14,862
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,914
-52 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 158 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,482 | 1,889 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,020 | 1,966 | 0.67 | +77 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 538 places |
| 2020 | #14,862 | 1,914 | 0.64 | -52 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 158 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 Merideth 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 | #15,020 | #14,862 | 1.1% |
| Count | 1,966 | 1,914 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.64 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Merideth bearers went from 1,966 to 1,914 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 158 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,020 to #14,862.
FAQ
Merideth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Merideth?
Name Census estimates that about 2,195 living Americans carry the surname Merideth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 156,152 residents.
How common is Merideth?
Merideth ranks #14,862 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,914 people with the surname Merideth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,195), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Merideth.
Has Merideth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Merideth went from 1,966 recorded bearers to 1,914. That is a decrease of 52 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,020 to #14,862.
What does the Census say about the background of Merideth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Merideth, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Merideth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.9% (1,587 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Merideth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.9%), Black (8.4%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Merideth (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 Merideth mean?
Derived from the Welsh given name Meredydd, meaning "great lord" or "sea lord." 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 Merideth (0.64 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 Merideth?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.