MEIKLE
Meikle is a surname of both English and Scottish origin, deriving from the Middle-English word mikil or meikle, which means great or large. It was traditionally employed as a nickname for an individual of considerable physical size or a prominent personality, or it may have denoted a person residing near a conspicuous geographical feature or a large settlement.
The surname is associated with the Celtic linguistic heritage of the British Isles, and particularly with the Scottish Gaelic-speaking areas. In Scotland, the name is listed as belonging to the Christian community, reflecting the prevalent religious affiliation of the region during the medieval period.
Documentary evidence indicates that the first recorded spelling of the family name is Willemus Mykyl, dated in the Episcopal Registry of Aberdeen to the year 1382, during the reign of King Richard of Bordeaux (1377–1399). This early attestation places the name firmly within the Scottish archival record by the late fourteenth century.
The name appears in parish registers of Northumberland, with christenings such as Adam Meikle on 30 August 1713 at Heddon on the Wall, and John Meikle on 14 April 1715 at the same location. These entries demonstrate the name’s presence in the northern English counties bordering Scotland during the early eighteenth century.
Throughout its history, the surname has manifested in a number of variants, including Mickle, Micklethwaite, and Micklewright. The variant Mickle is particularly prevalent in Northumberland, reinforcing a geographical pattern of usage.
It is important to note that there is no evidence to support the hypothesis that Meikle is a derivative of the personal name Michael. The two names share a similar orthographic form but differ in etymology, the former originating from the Old English micel and the latter from a distinct Hebrew root.
Among the individuals who have borne the name, Andrew Meikle (1719–1811) stands out for his invention of the threshing machine in 1784, an innovation that he manufactured near Dunbar. His son, George Meikle, contributed to hydro-engineering by inventing a water-raising wheel used to drain the fields of Kincardine in 1809. These achievements underscore the surname’s association with engineering and agricultural advancement in Scotland during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Typical given names associated with the Meikle surname
Male
- Alan
- Alexander
- Andrew
- David
- George
- James
- John
- Robert
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Alison
- Anne
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Emily
- Fiona
- Gail
- Helen
- Jane
- Janet
- Jean
- Margaret
- Mary
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Meikle in...
Braille
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Morse
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There are approximately 3,684 people named Meikle in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,511th most common surname in Britain. Around 57 in a million people in Britain are named Meikle.
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Meikle
- Lindon Meikle - Football player
- Ryan Meikle - Darts player
- John Meikle - Recipient of the Victoria Cross (1898 to 1918)
- Angus Meikle - Football player
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.