Surname Mede - Meaning and Origin
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Mede: What does the surname Mede mean?
The surname Mede is of ancient Persian origin. It refers to the Medes, an ancient Indo-Iranian people who lived in the western and north-western portion of present-day Iran. Initially, the Medes were an amalgamation of several tribes. It later denoted the ethnicity and nationality of the Median kingdom's inhabitants, one of the early empires in the ancient Near East. The empire was known for its military and political prowess. Therefore, an individual bearing the last name Mede may have ancestral roots linked to this ancient civilization. However, like many surnames, geographic relocation, intermarriage, and other factors may have broadened its ethnic origins over centuries. Despite its ancient origins, it's important to remember that surnames do not necessarily reflect a person's current ethnicity, nationality, or geographic origin.
Order DNA origin analysisMede: Where does the name Mede come from?
The surname Mede mainly originates from Europe, deriving from the Old English "medu" or the Old High German "metu," both meaning "mead" (a type of alcoholic beverage made from fermented honey and water). The surname may have been initially used as a nickname for a maker or seller of mead.
Another potential origination is from an Anglo-Saxon tribe found in the United Kingdom region where the family held a family seat from ancient times. In fact, variations of surname Mede can be found in early tax records from the British Isles, including the version "Mead" found in Somerset during the reign of King Edward the Confessor (1042-1066).
Also, "Mede" could have originated as a locational surname derived from various places named with this word, such as Mead in Bedfordshire, or Meeth in Devon.
As of today, it's less common and is found sporadically around the globe, including in Europe, North America, and Australia. Due to migration and globalization, tracking the surname's current popularity can be challenging. Surname distributions change over time, reflecting the movement, migration, and mixing of different families and populations.
Variations of the surname Mede
The surname Mede has various variants, spellings and related surnames due to regional differences and translations across languages.
Different variants of this surname include Medd, Medda, Medden, Meddin, Meddy, and Medds. There might also be stemmed versions of this name like Medeson or Mederly.
The surname has roots in the Middle English (especially northeastern dialect) term "mede," which was often used to mean "meadow." Thus, it's possible that the surname Mede may share an origin with other topographical surnames relating to meadows, such as Meadows, Meadowes or Meadow.
Moreover, in an Italian linguistic context, Mede could be a geographical surname for someone from the town of Mede in Lombardy, Italy. Hence, it's possible that the surname Mede shares a common origin with surnames like Medelli, Medella, and Medellini.
However, it's also worth noting that surnames can often be subject to misspellings and alternative spellings due to clerical errors and phonetic translation, so other possible variations of the surname Mede that could come across include Mead, Meade, Medie, Mate, Mied, Mait, or Matey.
Further research into this surname would be necessary to definitively establish all variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin.
Famous people with the name Mede
- Anna Mede: German artist and illustrator who works in various media, from woodcuts to ink drawing to painting.
- Abraham Mede: a 17th century English scholar of mystical leanings.
- Giorgio Mede: an Italian composer, pianist, and music teacher.
- Thomas Mede (or Meade): an English poet who wrote several volumes of verse during the reign of Elizabeth I of England.
- Anne Mede (or De Meed): a 16th century Flemish composer who wrote music for lutes and viols.
- Etienne Mede: an early French engraver and medal maker who worked during the reign of Louis XIII.
- George Mede: a 19th century English noted doctor in the field of mental health care.
- Léon Mede: a French architect, known for his design of several large train stations in France in the late 19th century.
- Pruz Mede: a 16th century Italian scholar, writer, and theologian.
- Valerio Mede: an Italian sculptor of the late Baroque period.