Surname Meed - Meaning and Origin
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Meed: What does the surname Meed mean?
The surname Meed is considered a variant of the Middle English surname Mead, which has its roots in pre-7th century Old English. It typically refers to someone who lived by a meadow or a piece of grassland. The Old English term "mead" could mean either a meadow, an alcoholic beverage made from honey, or it could denote someone who produced or sold this beverage. The name would often be used as an occupational or topographic surname, indicating a person’s job or geographical location. Like many surnames that predate the 11th century, variations in spelling (such as Meede, Mead, Meade, and Meed) occurred largely due to an absence of spelling rules and the influence of other languages over time.
Order DNA origin analysisMeed: Where does the name Meed come from?
The surname Meed is of English origin. It is derived from the Middle English word 'meed', which means 'reward', 'meed' or 'gift'. In particular, it was often used by the Anglo-Saxons as a personal name during the Medieval period. It was also commonly used as a nickname for a very generous person or possibly an ironic nickname for a miser. The name subsequently became a surname during the Middle Ages.
As with many other surnames, variations include Meeds, Mead, Meade, and others. Similar to something that happened with many English surnames, some families likely adopted the name Meed after immigrating to other countries and anglicizing their names.
Today, it remains in use in various forms around the world, with a relatively large number of individuals carrying the name residing in the United States. It is not a particularly common surname, and is more frequently seen in the U.K, Canada, Australia, and South Africa. Please note, surname distribution can change rapidly due to factors like migration, meaning that the surname might also be present in other countries not mentioned here.
Variations of the surname Meed
The surname Meed may have several variants and spellings primarily due to geographical differences, dialect influences, and translation or transcription errors. Some of these variations can include Meede, Mede, Mead, Meads, Meedes, and Meedes. Most of these variations have been directly linked to the surname Meed with similar roots or origins.
In some cases, Meed might be a shortened version of a longer surname, or it may have been altered slightly over generations. It is also essential to consider the possibility of phonetic spelling variations, where the surname is spelled as it sounds, leading to many different spellings for the same name. So, regionally, the pronunciation might lead to different spellings or variations.
The surname Meed predominantly originates from English speaking countries and may have originally been associated with meadows, derived from the Old English word "maed", meaning 'meadow'. However, it could also be a variant of the Germanic name Medard, which was brought to England in the middle ages. Apart from variations of the surname itself, related surnames can also include those with similar meanings in different languages, like Meadow, Meadows, Prado (Spanish), Prati (Italian), or Wiese (German).
Famous people with the name Meed
- Peter Meed: American choreographer and artistic director
- Konstantin Meed: Ukrainian public figure and politician
- Kristina Meed: Canadian actress
- David Meed: British step dancer
- Alex Meed: American producer and musician
- Myra Meed: American poet
- Jacob Meed: Australian entrepreneur
- Molly Meed: American athlete
- Linda Meed: Dutch chef and restaurateur
- Julie Meed: English artist and illustrator