Meese History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Meese arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Meese family lived in Staffordshire. The surname Meese can be traced to Cold Meece, a village near Swynnerton or the Meece River in Staffordshire. Likely the original bearer lived by the River Meece. 1

The River Meese, in Shropshire, England may be another starting point for this family.

Early Origins of the Meese family

The surname Meese was first found in Staffordshire where they held a family seat. The name is associated with the village of Mill Meece, which was recorded in the Domesday Book, 2 a census of England taken by King William in the year 1086. Robert Miee was registered in Normandy in 1198. In England, the first recorded ancestor was Richard del Mes (also recorded as Richard Mey,) who was registered in Staffordshire in 1276. 1

Early History of the Meese family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Meese research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1608, 1642 and 1691 are included under the topic Early Meese History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Meese Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Meese, Meece, Mees, Mey and others.

Early Notables of the Meese family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Henry Meese of Lancashire

Migration of the Meese family to Ireland

Some of the Meese family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Meese migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Meese or a variant listed above:

Meese Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Henry Meese, who landed in Virginia in 1682 3

Meese Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Fr Arnold Meese, who landed in America in 1836 3
Heinr Adolph Meese, who arrived in America in 1847 3
Henry Adolph Meese, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1850 3
Noah Meese, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1876 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Meese (post 1700) +

Ward King Meese (1897-1968), American NFL football player with the Milwaukee Badgers during the 1922 season and the St. Louis All-Stars during the 1923 season
Matthew Ryan "Matt" Meese (b. 1983), American sketch comedian and actor, best known as co-creator of Studio C, a sketch comedy show produced by BYUtv
Bella Meese, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 1988 4
John Reginald Meese (1927-2005), Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood in the Victorian Football League (1948-1949)
David Meese (1723-1770), Dutch botanist notable for his authorship of the Flora frisica in 1760
Jules Meese (1896-1968), French lightweight weightlifter who in 1925, set a world record in the press at 92.5 kg
Jonathan Meese (b. 1970), German painter, sculptor and performance artist
Edwin "Ed" Meese III (b. 1931), American attorney, law professor, author, seventy-fifth Attorney General of the United States (1985-1988)

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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