Meredith (name)
Encyclopedia
Meredith is an uncommon given name
, and a surname common in parts of Wales
. Meredith is a well known name of Welsh origin that may be used as both a personal name or as a surname. Until the 20th century, the name Meredith was associated as a masculine name, as the meaning is understood to be ‘battle lord’, or ‘lord of battle’. Meredith has many derivatives which have become personal and surnames as well.
and Bleidd[i]udd. However, in Middle Welsh (1150s-1300s) the name was most commonly spelt as Maredud and Maredudd, "in Welsh the accent is on the penult, and this leads at times to the elision of the vowel of the first syllable," producing an early variant Mredydd, according to T.J. Morgan and Prys Morgan. Anglo-Norman scribes often used e for the first syllable and substituting the double d with a th, producing Mereduth. As early as the 14th century the form Meredith and Meredyth is seen.
In medieval manuscripts, the name are frequently “disguised” in records produced by scribes unfamiliar with Welsh naming conventions, and has been confused with the Welsh name Moreiddig (which has produced Moredik, Moriddik, and Morithik). By the early Middle Ages, the name took the form of Mereduc due in part “to its suitability for taking Latin case-endings. The name has been rendered into Latin as Mereducco, Mereduci, Mereduth, Mereduco, Mereduc, and Mereducus, Mereducius.
In the accent of Dyfed (Pembrokshire) the final double d was lost to produce the name Meredy. Though there is no etymological connection, Meredith has also been equated or associated with Merrick, Meyrick, and Moryce, “presumably on the basis of the ‘Mer’, although it is possible that Maurice was adopted as an approximation,” according to Morgan.
Various names rooted with Meredith/Maredudd include Maredith, Maradyth, Merddith, Merydethe, Meredith, Mredith, Redith, among others.
In Spanish north coast, mainly Asturias, Meredith surname has derivated to "Merediz". It can also be found in Argentina and Mexico.
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
, and a surname common in parts of Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Meredith is a well known name of Welsh origin that may be used as both a personal name or as a surname. Until the 20th century, the name Meredith was associated as a masculine name, as the meaning is understood to be ‘battle lord’, or ‘lord of battle’. Meredith has many derivatives which have become personal and surnames as well.
Etymology and history
In Old Welsh (c. 800-1150) the name was usually rendered as Morgetuid and Margetiud. The exact meaning of the first element, Mere, is unclear though some Welsh scholars have translated it as "great" or "splendid". The final element of iudd has the meaning of lord, and is found in other Welsh names such as GruffyddGriffith (name)
Griffith, and its Welsh form Gruffydd, is a name of Welsh origin that may be used as a personal name or surname, with or without the s as in Griffiths. The name has many variations as a result of the natural evolution of the name in Welsh, as well as the translation of the name from Welsh into both...
and Bleidd[i]udd. However, in Middle Welsh (1150s-1300s) the name was most commonly spelt as Maredud and Maredudd, "in Welsh the accent is on the penult, and this leads at times to the elision of the vowel of the first syllable," producing an early variant Mredydd, according to T.J. Morgan and Prys Morgan. Anglo-Norman scribes often used e for the first syllable and substituting the double d with a th, producing Mereduth. As early as the 14th century the form Meredith and Meredyth is seen.
In medieval manuscripts, the name are frequently “disguised” in records produced by scribes unfamiliar with Welsh naming conventions, and has been confused with the Welsh name Moreiddig (which has produced Moredik, Moriddik, and Morithik). By the early Middle Ages, the name took the form of Mereduc due in part “to its suitability for taking Latin case-endings. The name has been rendered into Latin as Mereducco, Mereduci, Mereduth, Mereduco, Mereduc, and Mereducus, Mereducius.
In the accent of Dyfed (Pembrokshire) the final double d was lost to produce the name Meredy. Though there is no etymological connection, Meredith has also been equated or associated with Merrick, Meyrick, and Moryce, “presumably on the basis of the ‘Mer’, although it is possible that Maurice was adopted as an approximation,” according to Morgan.
Various names rooted with Meredith/Maredudd include Maredith, Maradyth, Merddith, Merydethe, Meredith, Mredith, Redith, among others.
In Spanish north coast, mainly Asturias, Meredith surname has derivated to "Merediz". It can also be found in Argentina and Mexico.
Derivatives
A derivative or pet name of Meredith is Bedo, which has given rise to a variety of other surnames. Surnames rooted in Meredith’s pet name Bedo include Beddas, Beddis, Beddus, Beddose, Beddos, Beddoe, Beddoes, Beddowe, Beado, Beddah, Beddow, Beddas, Beddass, with a deliberate anglazation of Beddis/Beddus into Bedhouse. The forms Beddoe, Beddow, Beddoes, and Beddowes, are particularly common within the Shropshire region of the Marches. The hardening characteristic of the Glamorgan and Gwent accent mutated the d into t, producing Bettoe, Bettoes, with the anglicized variant as Betthouse.List of people with given name Meredith
- Meredith BaxterMeredith BaxterMeredith Baxter , also known for some years as Meredith Baxter-Birney, is an American actress and producer. She is known for her acting roles including three television series: Family , an ABC television-network drama, Family Ties , an NBC television-network situation comedy, and Dan Vs. , a...
(born 1947), an American actress - Meredith BelbinMeredith BelbinMeredith Belbin is a British researcher and management theorist, best known for his work on management teams. He is a visiting professor and Honorary Fellow of Henley Management College in Oxfordshire, England.-Early Life and Work:...
(born 1926), a British Management Theorist - Meredith BrooksMeredith BrooksMeredith Ann Brooks is an American singer/songwriter and guitarist. She is best known for her 1997 hit song "Bitch", for which she was nominated for a Grammy Award.- Early life :...
(born 1958), American musician - Meredith EmersonMeredith EmersonMeredith Emerson was a 24-year-old woman who was last seen alive hiking with her dog on Blood Mountain in northern Georgia on New Year's Day 2008. Witnesses claimed to have seen her with an older man on the Spur Trail connecting the Appalachian Trail with the Byron Herbert Reece Parking Lot...
, murder victim, Meredith Emerson Memorial Privacy Act (US) - Meredith FramptonMeredith FramptonMeredith Frampton was a British painter and etcher.Frampton was educated at St John's Wood Art School and the at the Royal Academy Schools. He was the son of sculptor George Frampton. Although his artistic career was short and his output was limited, his work is on display at the National...
, (1894-1984), British painter - Meredith Kurtz, (born Meredith Smooke), An American Duchess
- Meredith Poindexter GentryMeredith Poindexter GentryMeredith Poindexter Gentry was an American politician who represented Tennessee's eighth and seventh districts in the United States House of Representatives. He also served in the Confederate States Congress during the American Civil War.-Biography:Gentry was born in Rockingham County, North...
(1809–1866), U.S. politician - Meredith HallMeredith HallMeredith Hall is a writer and professor at University of New Hampshire. She is the author of the memoir Without a Map.At age forty-four, Meredith graduated from Bowdoin College and began writing...
, American writer - Meredith HunterMeredith HunterMeredith Curly Hunter was a male spectator at the Altamont Free Concert. During the performance by The Rolling Stones, Hunter pulled out a gun after being punched by a Hells Angel and was then stabbed to death by a Hells Angel serving as a security guard...
, American man murdered at the Altamont Free Concert - Meredith Hunter (politician), Australian politician
- Meredith Kercher (1985–2007), a British woman murdered in Italy
- Meredith MonkMeredith MonkMeredith Jane Monk is an American composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer. Since the 1960s, Monk has created multi-disciplinary works which combine music, theatre, and dance, recording extensively for ECM Records.-Life and work:Meredith Monk is primarily known for her...
, an American composer and vocal performer - Meredith SalengerMeredith SalengerMeredith Dawn Salenger is an American actress identified by her performances while a teenager. Her best known role was the title role in the 1985 Disney film The Journey of Natty Gann.-Early life and career:...
, American actress - Meredith StiehmMeredith StiehmMeredith Stiehm is a television producer and writer. She is a member of the Writers Guild of America and the Producers Guild of America.-Career:...
, American television producer and screenwriter - Meredith VieiraMeredith VieiraMeredith Louise Vieira is an American journalist, television personality, and game show host. She is best known for her roles as the original moderator of the ABC talk program The View and co-host of the long-running NBC News morning news program, Today...
, an American journalist and television host - Meredith WillsonMeredith WillsonRobert Meredith Willson was an American composer, songwriter, conductor and playwright, best known for writing the book, music and lyrics for the hit Broadway musical The Music Man...
, (born Robert Meredith Willson), an American composer, songwriter, conductor, and playwright - O. Meredith WilsonO. Meredith WilsonOwen Meredith Wilson was a historian and academic administrator. He served as president of the University of Oregon from 1954 to 1960 and as president of the University of Minnesota from 1960 to 1967....
, former President of the University of Minnesota, a large research University in America.
Fictional characters
- Meredith Blake, a character in the book Five Little PigsFive Little PigsFive Little Pigs is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in May 1942 under the title of Murder in Retrospect and in UK by the Collins Crime Club in January 1943 although some sources state that publication occurred in November 1942...
by Agatha ChristieAgatha ChristieDame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to... - Merry GentryMerry GentryMerry Gentry is the title character of fantasy series by US writer Laurell K. Hamilton, best-known for her previous series Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter...
, the protagonist of the Meredith Gentry series by Laurell K. Hamilton - Meredith Gordon, a character in the TV series Heroes
- Meredith GreyMeredith GreyMeredith Grey is a fictional surgeon and the series protagonist on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy. The character is portrayed by actress Ellen Pompeo. In 2007, Pompeo was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Meredith...
, a fictional character and surgical resident on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy, played by Ellen Pompeo - Meredith Rodney McKayRodney McKayDoctor Meredith Rodney McKay, Ph.D, is a fictional character in the Canadian-American Sci-Fi Channel television series Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, two military science fiction television shows about a military team exploring two galaxies via a network of alien transportation devices...
, a character in the TV series Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis - Meredith PalmerMeredith PalmerMeredith Elizabeth Palmer is a fictional character from the US television series The Office. She is played by Kate Flannery. She is an original character and has no equivalent in the British version of the show, The Office....
, a fictional character and resident lush on the NBC sitcom The Office - Meredith Sulez, a fictional character in The Vampire Diaries by L. J. Smith.