Explore the Family Name Meals
The meaning of Meals
English: 1. variant of Meale, with post-medieval excrescent -s. One origin of Meale is as a nickname from Middle English mele ‘meal, ground cereal’, perhaps for a maker or seller of meal. Compare Millman. 2. variant of Meale with plural -s. An alternative origin of Meale is as a topographic name from Middle English mele ‘sand-hill’ (Old Norse melr), as found in such placenames as North Meols, Ravensmeols (both Lancashire), and Great Meols (Cheshire).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Meals in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Meals saw a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 22,670th and had a total count of 1,058. By 2010, the ranking had dropped to 24,305 with a count of 1,032 - a decrease of 7.21% in rank and 2.46% in count. The proportion per 100,000 also decreased by 10.26%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #22,670 | #24,305 | -7.21% |
| Count | 1,058 | 1,032 | -2.46% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.39 | 0.35 | -10.26% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Meals
When examining the ethnic identity associated with the surname Meals, data from the Decennial U.S. Census indicates some changes between 2000 and 2010. Individuals identifying as White accounted for the majority, although this percentage decreased slightly from 86.20% to 84.59%. Those identifying as Black also decreased marginally from 10.59% to 10.37%. The Hispanic representation saw an increase from 1.04% to 1.84%, while those identifying as Two or more races increased from 1.51% to 1.94%. It's interesting to note that in 2010, individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaskan Native appeared for the first time in the data, at 0.58% and 0.68% respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 86.2% | 84.59% | -1.87% |
| Black | 10.59% | 10.37% | -2.08% |
| Two or More Races | 1.51% | 1.94% | 28.48% |
| Hispanic | 1.04% | 1.84% | 76.92% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.68% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.58% | 0% |