Meadow
Meadow was the 286th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,078 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 387 places. More babies were named Meadow in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning meadow (word name) · English, Old English
Say it MED-oh /ˈmɛdoʊ/
- Rank in 2025
- #286 girls, up 190 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,078girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20251,078 babies
- Total since 1880
- 12,355babies recorded
What does the name Meadow mean?
Meadow is the English word for a field of grass, used as a modern nature name. It comes from Old English mǣdwe, a form of mǣd, "mead, meadow", related to mow. In the US it has been given in small numbers since the 1970s and much more since the 2000s; the character Meadow Soprano in the TV series The Sopranos (1999-2007) made it widely known.
mǣd (Old English, “meadow”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Mead.
See also: English names, names that mean meadow, hill or valley.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'meadow', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (usage history only), US Social Security Administration
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'meadow', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Meadow popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 12 since 2022.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #286 | 1,078 |
| 2020 | #476 | 646 |
| 2010 | #875 | 304 |
| 2000 | #1,392 | 134 |
| 1990 | #14,396 | 5 |
| 1980 | #3,797 | 21 |
| 1970 | #8,828 | 5 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Meadow, counting every spelling?
Meadow has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #302 for girls in 2025, against #286 on the official list, because Kali/Cali/Kaleah and Marley/Marlee/Marlie and Anaya/Anaiah/Anayah move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Meadow?
1,078 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Meadow (0.30 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Meadow born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 8 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Meadow.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Meadow?
About 12,200 people born in the US named Meadow are alive today, with a median age of 8; half are between 4 and 17. That makes Meadow a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Meadow by state
How common Meadow was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in West Virginia (3.2×), Maine (2.8×), Idaho (2.5×), Connecticut (2.4×), Oklahoma (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, North Dakota, Texas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Meadow: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Meadow, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Meadow · Sibling names for Meadow
Questions about the name Meadow
What does Meadow mean?
Meadow means “meadow (word name)” (English, Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Meadow?
Meadow was the 286th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,078 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 387 places. More babies were named Meadow in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Meadow a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Meadow in the US.
Where is Meadow most popular?
In 2021–2025, Meadow was most common in West Virginia (1.72 per 1,000 girls), followed by Maine and Idaho.