Meekins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales
Ireland

The Welsh Meekins surname is thought to derived from name of the village of Machen, located near Caerphilly, in the county of Monmouthshire.

Alternatively, the name could have been derived from the name of an ancestor as in 'the son of Matthew.' 1

Early Origins of the Meekins family

The surname Meekins was first found in Monmouthshire (Welsh: Sir Fynwy), at Machen, a parish, in the union of Newport, partly in the hundred of Wentlloog, South Wales. 2

Early History of the Meekins family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Meekins research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1541, 1600, 1614 and 1675 are included under the topic Early Meekins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Meekins Spelling Variations

There are relatively few surnames native to Wales, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. Early variations of Welsh surnames can be explained by the fact that very few people in the early Middle Ages were literate. Priests and the few other literate people were responsible for recording names in official documents. And because most people could not specific how to properly record their names it was up to the individual recorder of that time to determine how a spoken name should be recorded. Variations due to the imprecise or improper recording of a name continued later in history when names originally composed in the Brythonic Celtic, language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, were transliterated into English. Welsh names that were documented in English often changed dramatically since the native language of Wales, which was highly inflected, did not copy well. Occasionally, however, spelling variations were carried out according to an individual's specific design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by minor variations. The spelling variations of the name Meekins have included Machen, Machin, Machon, Mackon, Makin, Makins, MacMacken and many more.

Early Notables of the Meekins family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Thomas Machen (c. 1541-1614), an English mercer who was mayor of Gloucester three times, Member of Parliament for Gloucester in 1614; Bathsua Reginald Makin (c.1600-c.1675) English middle-class proto-feminist who...
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Meekins Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Meekins Ranking

In the United States, the name Meekins is the 7,191^st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Meekins family to Ireland

Some of the Meekins family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Meekins migration to the United States +

During the latter half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the people of Wales journeyed to North America to find a new life. They made major contributions to the arts, industry and commerce of both Canada and the United States, and added a rich cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Meekins:

Meekins Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Meekins, who landed in Virginia in 1654 4
Johanna Meekins, who landed in Maryland in 1669 4

Meekins migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Meekins Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Geo Meekins, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750

Contemporary Notables of the name Meekins (post 1700) +

Edward Russell Meekins Jr. (1949-2020), American politician who served four terms as a Democratic member of the Alaska House of Representatives
William C. Meekins, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Carolina, 1928, 1936, 1940, 1944, 1948; North Carolina Republican State Chair, 1937 5
Theodore S. Meekins, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from North Carolina, 1932, 1944 5
Russ Meekins, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Alaska State House of Representatives 7th District, 1973-74 5
Mary D. Meekins, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Jersey, 1932 5
Mary Meekins, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Carolina, 1928 5
J. Charles Meekins, American Republican politician, Member of North Carolina State House of Representatives from Tyrrell County, 1915-16 5
J. C. Meekins Jr., American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from North Carolina 1st District, 1942 5
Isaac Melson Meekins (1875-1946), American Republican politician, Mayor of Elizabeth City, North Carolina, 1897; Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Carolina, 1904, 1912, 1916, 1924 5
D. V. Meekins, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from North Carolina, 1956 5

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"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 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html