The Meeks surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 29,457 people carried this name — #1,202 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 10,000 people counted. That is up 4% from 28,426 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Meeks surname

As a surname in the United Kingdom

Harrison explains it as ‘Meek's son’.

From Henry Harrison, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, vol. II (London: The Morland Press, 1918), p. 19 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

59 families named Meeks, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 318 people lived in those households, 5.4 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 7 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

Pennsylvania 14
North Carolina 14
Maryland 12
South Carolina 10
New York 6
Massachusetts 2
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

Meeks in American newspapers,
1897–1921.

Newspaper page from Hot Springs Weekly Star carrying the name Meeks
Hot Springs Weekly Star 1912-08-30
Newspaper page from Walker Lake Bulletin carrying the name Meeks
Walker Lake Bulletin 1897-04-14
Newspaper page from Durant Weekly News carrying the name Meeks
Durant Weekly News 1921-05-13

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 629,372 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Meeks in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1970s.

10,063 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Meeks. The most, 2,152, date from the 1900s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 5,290
Victoria 2,227
Western Australia 968
South Australia 763
Queensland 629
Tasmania 142
Northern Territory 6
ACT (Canberra) 5

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

Who carried it

People named Meeks,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Priddy Meeks
    Priddy Meeks 1795–1886 · physician
  • Everett Victor Meeks
    Everett Victor Meeks 1879–1954 · dean
  • Joseph Meeks 1771–1868 · furniture maker
  • John Meeks 1801–1875
  • Joseph William Meeks 1805–1878
  • Francis Meeks 1807– · photographer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Meeks,
in the records of 5 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 States1,626 records

1,626 records of the Meeks name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 947
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 317
  • Other U.S. records 362
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Samuel S. Meeks

    Born 1922 in United Kingdom. Enlisted 1942 at Fresno, California; lumberman. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1998, buried at Arbor Vitae Cemetery, Madera, California.

    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 Charles Henry Meeks

    Born 1946; from Los Angeles, California. U.S. Marine Corps; died in an accident 1969 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Buried at Los Angeles National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Elizabeth Meeks

    Arrived at New York in 1853 aboard the Marathon from Liverpool, aged 23; servant. From England.

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

Showing 3 of 1,626 records for Meeks in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (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).

Australia145 records

145 records of the Meeks name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 103
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 17
  • Other Australian records 25
  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 Mayhew Meeks

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Marmion, sailing from Portsmouth in 1827. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1838.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Charles Meeks

    Arrived in Queensland in 1873 aboard the Indus, aged 19.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record George Meeks

    Merchant tailor of Melbourne, Victoria; died 1894.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 145 records for Meeks in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). 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).

Netherlands95 records

95 records of the Meeks name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 67
  • Dutch population registers 25
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 3
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Peter Joseph Meeks

    Born 1898 in Urmond. Married in 1925 in Geleen; miner. Died 1959 in Geleen, aged 60.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Maria Meeks

    Died 1829 in Cuijk en Sint Agatha.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Renske Meeks

    Buried in 1798 in Workum.

    Open Archives, AlleFriezen (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 95 records for Meeks in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Canada15 records

15 records of the Meeks name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 11
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 3
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Charles Parker Meeks

    Died 1933 in Annapolis Mun, Annapolis, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Nellie Meeks

    Buried in 1978 at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  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 Michael Meeks

    Died in service in 1941.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 15 records for Meeks in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom6 records

6 records of the Meeks 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 W. M. Meeks

    Army Service Corps. 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 A. G. Meeks

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

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

    Lance Corporal, Suffolk. Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 6 records for Meeks in the United Kingdom.

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 Meeks.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Meeks 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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