# Meredith (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/meredith/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Welsh [in turn originating as a patronymic].

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Welsh |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 24,679 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,445 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 12,510 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.1% (23,937 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /məˈɹɛdɪθ/, 3 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Merrihew |

## Etymology

From Welsh Maredudd (“great lord”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Meredith in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 84% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 11% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.1% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.9% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 1.8% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Meredith in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.

## People named Meredith

- Burgess Meredith, American actor (1907–1997)
- Ted Meredith, American athletics competitor (1891–1957)
- James Meredith, Australian association football player (born 1988)
- James Meredith, American political activist & writer (1933-)
- Louisa Anne Meredith, British-Australian writer and illustrator (1812–1895)
- William M. Meredith, American politician, lawyer (1799-1873)
- Richard Meredith, American ice hockey player (1932–2025)
- Rowena Meredith, Australian rower
- Charles Meredith, American actor (1894-1964)
- Joan Meredith, American actress (1907-1980)
- Don Meredith, American football player, television sportscaster (1938–2010)
- Ariel Meredith, American model

and 5 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Merideth.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.