Meredith
A Welsh surname from an old personal name, later also used in patronymic form meaning “son of Meredith.”
The #1,445 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 12,510 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Meredith comes from an old Welsh personal name, recorded in early forms such as Maredudd or Maredud. Historical sources treat it as an ancient Welsh baptismal name, later inherited as a surname. Some 19th-century writers linked the name to Welsh elements meaning something like “mortal” and “day,” but that analysis is not certain and may reflect older speculative scholarship.
History
The name is strongly associated with Wales and was borne by medieval Welsh rulers and nobles, including Meredith ap Owain and Meredith ap Gruffudd. As a surname, it often began as a patronymic meaning “son of Meredith.” An Irish form, Meriday, is noted in older surname dictionaries as a corruption or adaptation of the Welsh name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some older surname books note forms like Ameredith, where the initial A was interpreted as the Welsh patronymic prefix ap (“son of”).
From the historical record
“Ketel le Mercer.— if M«i. Rolls. MEREDITH (Celt.) the O.Welsh Maredud{d {dd=th [ ? the Mod. VVel. marmddydd,', ' mortal day ' — marw, mortal ; dydd, day] ; Maredud ap Ywein. — '' [Meredith son of Owain] Bruty Tywysogion, A.D. 985. Maredud ab Grufud. —”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)