Merriweather History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Merriweather family

The surname Merriweather 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 Merriweather family

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

Merriweather Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Merriweather family

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

Merriweather Ranking

In the United States, the name Merriweather is the 5,263^rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 4

Merriweather migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Merriweather Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Merriweather, who landed in America in 1654-1679 5

Merriweather migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 6

Merriweather Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John Merriweather, who arrived in Barbados in 1654

Contemporary Notables of the name Merriweather (post 1700) +

Marjorie Merriweather Post (1887-1973), American socialite and the founder of General Foods, Inc, daughter of Charles William "C. W." Post, the American breakfast cereal and foods manufacturer
Diana Christine Merriweather Ashby (1963-1997), American cancer activist and founder of the Melanoma Research Foundation
Mike Merriweather (b. 1960), American NFL football linebacker who played from 1982 to 1993
"Big" Maceo Merriweather (1905-1953), American blues pianist, active in Chicago in the 1940s
Allison Merriweather, American painter
Daniel Merriweather (b. 1982), Australian two-time ARIA Music Award winning R&B Singer
Marjorie Merriweather Post (1887-1973), American socialite and the founder of General Foods, Inc, daughter of Charles William "C. W." Post, the American breakfast cereal and foods manufacturer

The Merriweather 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)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies