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The Anglo-Saxon name Meadow comes from when the family resided in or near a meadow. The surname Meadow is derived from the Old English words mæd and mædwe, which both mean meadow. The surname Meadow belongs to the class of topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees.
The surname Meadow was first found in Suffolk at Witnesham, a parish, in the union of Woodbridge, hundred of Carlford. "The family of Meadows, from a branch of which the present Earl Manvers is descended, have had a seat here since the time of Richard III." 1
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Meadow research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Meadow History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Meadow include Meadowes, Meadows, Meadow, Meddows, Meddus, Meadus, Medus, Medis and many more.
Notables of the family at this time include
In the United States, the name Meadow is the 18,090th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2
A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: Anne Meadowes settled with her husband in Virginia in 1684; Elizabeth Meadows and her husband settled in Annapolis in 1758; James and John Meadows settled in Philadelphia in 1860. Edmund Meadus of Poole, Dorset, settled in Newfoundland in the 1830's..