Meredith

also Maredudd, ap Maredudd

Son of the great lord, princely surname of Deheubarth.

Origin: Powys, Wales
Famous bearer: George Meredith (1828–1909), novelist (The Egoist, Diana of the Crossways)
Register: Welsh family

Territory of Meredith

CoreHistoric reach

The seat of Meredith

Seat vacant

Chief

No one leads the Meredith community yet. When the movement opens, you can stand for its leadership, or help elect whoever does.

Current mission

No shared goal set yet. Once Meredith has leadership, it sets the public focus: a restoration, a gathering, a real-world project that helps its own.

The Meredith clan is being rebuilt. Join the waiting list for the movement today, and you help decide who leads it and what it does.

Help rebuild the Meredith clan →

What does the Meredith name mean?

From ap Maredudd, son of Maredudd, a personal name probably derived from Old Welsh elements meaning 'great-lord' or 'splendid lord'. Maredudd was the personal name of two princes of Deheubarth, Maredudd ab Owain (d. 999), king of all Wales briefly in the 990s, and Rhys ap Maredudd (d. 1292), the last sovereign prince of Deheubarth. The patronymic ap Maredudd compressed into Meredith under Tudor naming policy, with the southern Welsh counties remaining the surname's heartland.

The history of Meredith

Maredudd ab Owain (d. 999) was, briefly, the closest thing to a king of all Wales between Hywel Dda and Llywelyn the Great, uniting Deheubarth (south-west Wales), Gwynedd (north-west) and Powys (centre) under his rule for a few years in the 990s before his death. Rhys ap Maredudd, his descendant, raised the last serious revolt of native Deheubarth against Edward I in 1287; he was captured and executed at York in 1292, ending the Maredudd princely line. The patronymic ap Maredudd survived in commoner branches of the family across Powys and Ceredigion through the Tudor period.

George Meredith (1828–1909), the Portsmouth-born novelist of The Egoist and Diana of the Crossways, was descended from a Welsh-Powys Meredith line; his grandfather had emigrated to the south coast of England in the late 18th century. Billy Meredith (1874–1958), the Chirk-born winger nicknamed 'the Welsh Wizard', won league titles with both Manchester United and Manchester City and is among the foundational figures of British professional football. Burgess Meredith (1907–1997), the American actor (Of Mice and Men, the Penguin in the 1960s Batman, the Oscar-nominated Mickey Goldmill in Rocky), was Welsh-Meredith on his paternal side.

Champions of the Meredith name

The bearers whose lives are inseparable from this surname. Each has its own page — biography, achievements, geography, connection to the family.

George Meredith
The Portsmouth tailor's grandson of Welsh descent who wrote The Ordeal of Richard Feverel, The Egoist and the Modern Love sonnet sequence, was the English literary figure of the late Victorian period, and was awarded the Order of Merit on its founding.

Notable bearers of the Meredith name

George Meredith (1828–1909), novelist (The Egoist, Diana of the Crossways)
Billy Meredith (1874–1958), Manchester United and Manchester City footballer, 'the Welsh Wizard'
Burgess Meredith (1907–1997), American actor (Rocky, Batman)

Frequently asked

What does the surname Meredith mean?

Where does the Meredith family come from?

The Meredith family is rooted in Powys and Deheubarth, in Wales. Within that, the name was particularly concentrated in Powys and Ceredigion. The atlas page for the name records the historical territory it has held over the centuries.

Where did the Meredith family historically hold territory?

At its greatest historical extent, the Meredith name has been concentrated in Sir Gâr and Sir Benfro. The atlas page distinguishes the core territory of the name from this wider historical reach with hatched silhouettes on the map.

Is Meredith a Wales surname?

Yes, Meredith is a Wales surname. Its editorial home in this atlas is Wales, where the historical territory and family record of the name are concentrated.

How old is the Meredith surname?

Maredudd ab Owain (d. European hereditary surnames crystallised broadly between the 12th and 14th centuries, and the Meredith name took its modern form within that long settlement.

What is the Meredith family known for?

Son of the great lord, princely surname of Deheubarth. Maredudd ab Owain (d.

Who is the most famous Meredith?

The best-known bearer of the Meredith name is George Meredith (1828–1909), novelist (The Egoist, Diana of the Crossways). Other prominent figures of the family include Billy Meredith (1874–1958), Manchester United and Manchester City footballer, 'the Welsh Wizard' and Burgess Meredith (1907–1997), American actor (Rocky, Batman).

Who are some famous Merediths?

Notable bearers of the Meredith name include George Meredith (1828–1909), novelist (The Egoist, Diana of the Crossways), Billy Meredith (1874–1958), Manchester United and Manchester City footballer, 'the Welsh Wizard' and Burgess Meredith (1907–1997), American actor (Rocky, Batman). Each is profiled on the family page, with cross-links to the geography, stories, and historical events tied to their life.

Is Maredudd the same family as Meredith?

Yes. Maredudd is a historical spelling variant of the Meredith name. The two share the same lineage and family affiliation; different parishes, clerks and migration registrars recorded the same name in slightly different forms, and the variant spellings sit on the same family tree.

Is ap Maredudd the same family as Meredith?

Yes. ap Maredudd is a historical spelling variant of the Meredith name. The two share the same lineage and family affiliation; different parishes, clerks and migration registrars recorded the same name in slightly different forms, and the variant spellings sit on the same family tree.

Where is the Meredith surname found today?

Wales is the primary historical home of the Meredith surname. In the modern era, the name is also borne across the wider diaspora, particularly in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where families carry the line of descent from the same Wales origin recorded on this page.

What does the Clan Rising page for the Meredith family cover?

The Clan Rising page for the Meredith family covers the meaning of the surname, the historical geography of the name, famous bearers of the name and the seat of the head of the family. Each section is linked to the underlying atlas of Wales so the name can be read in the geography that shaped it.

Who is the head of the Meredith family today?

The seat for the head of the Meredith family is currently vacant on this register. Clan Rising is rebuilding the chief and family structure for the modern era, and the family page allows readers to claim the seat or pledge to the name.