2000
#14,335
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,916
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Meriwether
From the Welsh words "meri" meaning "Happy" and "wyddfa" meaning "tomb," likely referring to a cheerful burial place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,222 Americans carry the last name Meriwether. That puts it at #14,709 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 154,255 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meriwether 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
2.2K
1 in 154,255
Census rank
#14,709
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,938 bearers of the surname Meriwether in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14709th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meriwether, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.2%. The next largest groups are Black (31.7%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meriwether
The surname Meriwether is of English origin, deriving from the Old English term "mere-wether," which translates to "a lake ram" or "a ram living near a lake." This name likely originated as a nickname or descriptive name referring to someone who lived near a lake or body of water where rams or sheep were present.
The earliest recorded instances of the Meriwether surname date back to the 13th century in various parts of England, including counties such as Leicestershire and Warwickshire. Some of the earliest known spellings include "Meryweder," "Merywedyr," and "Meriwedyr."
In the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are no direct mentions of the Meriwether surname. However, there are references to place names that may have contributed to the formation of this surname, such as "Mereworth" and "Merewurth."
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Meriwether surname was John Meryweder, who was documented in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1275. Another early bearer of the name was William Meryweder, mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in 1332.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the Meriwether surname. One of the most prominent was William Meriwether (1701-1786), a prominent landowner and member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. Another notable figure was David Meriwether (1755-1822), an American Revolutionary War soldier and explorer who helped establish the city of Louisville, Kentucky.
Other individuals of historical significance include Reverend James Meriwether (1690-1744), an English clergyman and author, and Jeffery Amherst Meriwether (1806-1866), a U.S. Representative from Georgia. Additionally, Mary Virginia Meriwether (1809-1899) was a notable American writer and educator who established several schools for women in the South.
While the Meriwether surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly North America, where many descendants of early English settlers have carried on the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meriwether
Among Census respondents with the surname Meriwether, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.2%. The next largest groups are Black (31.7%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Meriwether 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 Meriwether surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.2% · 1,148
- Black or African American31.7% · 614
- Two or more races5.2% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meriwether
Meriwether 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
#15,171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,942
+26 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 836 places
2020
#14,709
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,938
-4 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 462 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,335 | 1,916 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,171 | 1,942 | 0.66 | +26 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 836 places |
| 2020 | #14,709 | 1,938 | 0.65 | -4 bearers (-0.2%) | Up 462 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 Meriwether 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 | #15,171 | #14,709 | 3.0% |
| Count | 1,942 | 1,938 | -0.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.65 | -1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meriwether bearers went from 1,942 to 1,938 (-0.2% change). The surname moved up 462 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,171 to #14,709.
FAQ
Meriwether surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meriwether?
Name Census estimates that about 2,222 living Americans carry the surname Meriwether. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 154,255 residents.
How common is Meriwether?
Meriwether ranks #14,709 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,938 people with the surname Meriwether. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,222), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Meriwether.
Has Meriwether become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meriwether went from 1,942 recorded bearers to 1,938. That is a decrease of 4 (-0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,171 to #14,709.
What does the Census say about the background of Meriwether?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meriwether, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.2%. The next largest groups are Black (31.7%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Meriwether in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.2% (1,148 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meriwether appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.2%), Black (31.7%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Meriwether (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 Meriwether mean?
From the Welsh words "meri" meaning "Happy" and "wyddfa" meaning "tomb," likely referring to a cheerful burial place. 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 Meriwether (0.65 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 Americans have the surname Meriwether?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.