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Meikle History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Meikle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Scotland

Etymology of Meikle

What does the name Meikle mean?

The surname Meikle comes from the Middle Scottish word "meikle," "meikle" and "mekill" which meant "great," or "large." Contrary to what one may think, It is generally believed that the name was not a patronymic variant of the personal name Michael. Today, Meikle Loch is an inland loch in Aberdeenshire; Meikle Millyea, a mountain in South West Scotland; and Meikle Pap, a mountain in North East Scotland. Meikle Earnock is a suburb in the south of Hamilton, Scotland.

Early Origins of the Meikle family

The surname Meikle was first found in Liddesdale, where one of the first records of the name was Willelmus Mykl from the parish of Fyvy who was excommunicated in 1382. A few years later, Robertus Mykyl was a juror on assize in 1389. William Mikil (Mukill) was a juror on an inquest at Narn in 1431. 1

Early History of the Meikle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Meikle research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1495, 1501, 1609, 1616 and 1638 are included under the topic Early Meikle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Meikle Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Meikle, Mickel, Mickle and others.

Early Notables of the Meikle family

More information is included under the topic Early Meikle Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Meikle Ranking

In the United States, the name Meikle is the 13,982^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Meikle migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Meikle Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alexander Meikle, who landed in Ohio in 1833 3
William Meikle, aged 33, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1855 3
John Meikle, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1878 3
James Meikle, who landed in America in 1880 3

Meikle Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Alexander M. Meikle, aged 22, who arrived in Michigan in 1904 3

Meikle migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Meikle Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Meikle, (b. 1828), aged 20, Scottish weaver who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Bangalore" on 1st January 1850, arriving in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia 4
William Meikle, a weaver, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Switzerland"
Janet Meikle, aged 18, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "North"

Meikle migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Meikle Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. William Meikle, Scottish settler from Uphall travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 27th April 1860 5
Mrs. Meikle, Scottish settler from Uphall with 3 sons and 2 daughters travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 27th April 1860 5
W. Meikle, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ulcoats" in 1864
James Meikle, aged 53, a farmer, who arrived in Bluff, New Zealand aboard the ship "Christian McAusland" in 1875
Margaret Meikle, aged 42, who arrived in Bluff, New Zealand aboard the ship "Christian McAusland" in 1875
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Meikle (post 1700) +

William T. Meikle, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Iowa, 1944 6
John Meikle VC, MM (1898-1918), Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross
Andrew Meikle (1719-1811), Scottish engineer, inventor of the Threshing machine
John James Meikle (1845-1937), Scottish-born, New Zealand farmer and litigant
John Meikle (1870-1964), Scottish-born, Canadian farmer and politician in Saskatchewan
Robert Greenshields Meikle (1830-1887), Canadian merchant and politician in Quebec
Andrea Meikle (b. 1963), former New Zealand association football player
Sam Meikle (b. 1971), Australian two-time Australian Writer's Guild Award winning writer and director
Richard Meikle (1929-1991), Australian actor, father of writer Sam Meikle
Robert Desmond Meikle (b. 1923), Northern Irish botanist from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Meikle Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Vincit veritas
Motto Translation: Truth conquers.

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/australasia
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html