The Meacham surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,190 people carried this name — #5,615 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 47,600 people counted. That is up 1% from 6,115 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Meacham surname

Variant of Machen.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Meacham» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

48 families named Meacham, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 296 people lived in those households, 5.2 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 5 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Connecticut 19
Massachusetts 12
Vermont 9
North Carolina 4
New York 3
Virginia 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 253 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Meacham in American newspapers,
1914–1927.

Newspaper page from Ellsworth American carrying the name Meacham
Ellsworth American 1914-05-20
Newspaper page from The Ronan Pioneer carrying the name Meacham
The Ronan Pioneer 1924-06-20
Newspaper page from Brownsville Herald carrying the name Meacham
Brownsville Herald 1927-01-21

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 50,680 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Meacham in Australian newspapers,
1860s–1980s.

5,140 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Meacham. The most, 1,171, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 3.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 4,093
New South Wales 563
Western Australia 293
Victoria 127
South Australia 28
ACT (Canberra) 15
Tasmania 14
Northern Territory 4

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Meacham.

Who carried it

People named Meacham,
with a public archive behind them.

  • James Meacham
    James Meacham 1810–1856 · politician
  • Alfred B. Meacham
    Alfred B. Meacham 1826–1882 · writer
  • Idah Meacham Strobridge
    Idah Meacham Strobridge 1855–1932 · writer
  • George Marsden Meacham 1833–1919 · pastor
  • Frank L. Meacham 1835– · politician
  • Walter William Meacham 1844–1905 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 8 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Meacham,
in the records of 4 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States438 records

438 records of the Meacham name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 238
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 82
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 53
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 39
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 13
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 6
  • Riverside Cemetery, Asheville (North Carolina) 2
  • Sacramento County historic burials 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Arthur E. Meacham

    Born 1925 in Kentucky. Enlisted 1943 at Evansville, Indiana; farm hand. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1998, buried at Green Hill Memorial Gdns of Christian County, Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Jack Bennie Meacham

    Born 1943; from Mobile, Alabama. U.S. Army, armor crewman; died in an accident 1967 in South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Herbert Meacham

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the City of Berlin from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 21; clerk. From Walsall; bound for Philadelphia.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 438 records for Meacham in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia56 records

56 records of the Meacham name in Australia
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 25
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 18
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 5
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 3
  • State Library of Western Australia indexes 3
  • Tasmanian Names Index 2
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Thomas Meacham

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Maitland, arriving 1840; ticket of leave 1846.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Francis Meacham

    Arrived in Victoria in 1855 aboard the Indian Queen, aged 49; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record William F. Meacham

    Storekeeper of Rushworth, Victoria; died 1895.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 56 records for Meacham in Australia.

Counts: Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada4 records

4 records of the Meacham name in Canada
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 2
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Henry Meacham

    Came to Ontario in 1871 aboard the Strathblain, landing at Quebec, bound for Malton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Franklin F. Meacham

    Married 1899 in North Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record H. A. Meacham

    Canadian Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Meacham in Canada.

Counts: Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom2 records

2 records of the Meacham name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record S. A. Meacham

    Essex Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record G. Meacham

    Cheshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Meacham.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Meacham is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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