Meriwether History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Meriwether family

The surname Meriwether was first found in Kent at Mereworth, a parish, in the union of Malling, hundred of Littlefield, lathe of Aylesford. This ancient Saxon village dates back to 843 when it was first listed as Meranworth. By the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, the parish was known as Marovrde. 1 Literally the place name means "enclosure of a man called Maera" from the Old English personal name + "worth." 2 The name is often referred to as a nickname for someone who is a happy, genial or a sunshiny fellow. Some of the first listings of the name were found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273: Andrew Muriweder in Oxfordshire; and Thomas Murweder in Cambridgeshire. There is also an undated listing of Henry Muriweder in the Issues of the Exchequer. 3

Early History of the Meriwether family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Meriwether research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1674, 1701, 1703, 1705 and 1718 are included under the topic Early Meriwether History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Meriwether Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Merriweather, Merreweather, Mereweather, Mereworth, Merworth and many more.

Early Notables of the Meriwether family

Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Meriwether Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Meriwether Ranking

In the United States, the name Meriwether is the 14,819^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Meriwether migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Meriwether Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Nicholas Meriwether, who landed in Virginia in 1653 5

Meriwether Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Lee Meriwether, aged 42, who immigrated to America, in 1905
Mrs. Lee Meriwether, aged 27, who settled in America, in 1905
Susan Meriwether, aged 18, who landed in America, in 1906
Louise Meriwether, aged 28, who immigrated to the United States, in 1906
Lucy Meriwether, aged 39, who landed in America, in 1911
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Meriwether (post 1700) +

Lee Ann Meriwether (b. 1935), American Emmy Award nominated actress and model, Miss America 1955
Louise Meriwether (1923-2023), American novelist, essayist, journalist and activist, as well as a writer of biographies of historically important African Americans for children
David Meriwether (1800-1893), American Senator from Kentucky and Governor of Territorial New Mexico
David Meriwether (1755-1822), American Revolutionary War soldier and Representative from Georgia
Elizabeth Meriwether (b. 1982), American playwright and screenwriter, television producer and writer
Wilhelm Delano Meriwether (1943-1971), American physician and a bronze medalist track and field athlete at the 1971 Pan American Games
James Meriwether (1789-1854), American politician, United States Representative from Georgia
John Meriwether, American financial executive from Wall Street
Reuben Handy Meriwether (b. 1820), American politician, Mayor of Decatur, Illinois, 1876 6
James Archibald Meriwether (1806-1852), American politician, Member of Georgia State House of Representatives, 1831-36, 1838, 1843, 1851-52; U.S. Representative from Georgia at-large, 1841-43 6
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Meriwether Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Vi et consilio
Motto Translation: By force and counsels.

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html