Meredith (given Name) - Etymology and History

Etymology and History

In Old Welsh (c. 800–1150) the name was usually rendered as Morgetuid or Margetiud. The exact meaning of the first element, Mere, is unclear although 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 Gruffydd and Bleiddudd. However, in Middle Welsh (c. 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. The forms Meredith and Meredyth are seen as early as the 14th century.

In Medieval manuscripts, the name is 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, in part due 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 (Pembrokeshire) 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 and Morgan.

Various names rooted with Meredith/Maredudd include Maredith, Maradyth, Merddith, Merydethe, Mredith and Redith, among others. In the northern coastal region of Spain, mainly Asturias, Meredith surname has derivated to "Merediz". It is also found in Argentina and Mexico.