</noinclude>Meadows is a medieval English surname. Commonly recorded alternative spellings are Medows, Meddowes and Medewes.

The name is topographical in origin, indicating someone who lived near a meadow or grassland, and derives from the pre-7th century word for meadow "maed", or Middle English "mede".

Notable people with the surname include:

  • Abram Henson Meadows (1859–1932), American showman
  • Audrey Meadows (1922–1996), American actress
  • Austin Meadows (born 1995), American baseball player
  • Bernard Meadows (1915–2005), British sculptor
  • Bobby Meadows (born 1938), English footballer
  • Brian Meadows (born 1975), American baseball player
  • Carter Meadows (born 2007), American football player
  • Catherine Meadows, American cryptographer
  • Charles Medows (1737–1816), British nobleman & naval officer
  • Clarence W. Meadows (1904–1961), American Attorney General
  • Daniel Meadows (born 1952), British photographer
  • Dennis Meadows (born 1942), American scientist
  • Dennis Meadows (politician) (born 1966), Jamaican politician
  • Donella Meadows (1941–2001), American environmental scientist
  • Earle Meadows (1913–1992), American pole-vaulter
  • Frederick Meadows (1886–1975), Canadian athlete
  • Gavin Meadows (born 1977), British swimmer
  • Ian Meadows (born 1983), Australian actor and writer
  • Isabel Meadows (1846–1939), American native linguist
  • Jason Meadows (born 1971), American musician
  • Jayne Meadows (1919–2015), American actress
  • James Meadows (disambiguation page), several individuals
  • James Joseph Meadows (1835–1914), English missionary
  • John Meadows (disambiguation page), several individuals
  • Johnny Meadows (Australian footballer) (1880–1974), Australian footballer
  • Joyce Meadows (born 1933), Canadian actress
  • Kenny Meadows (1790–1874), British illustrator & caricaturist
  • Kristen Meadows (born 1957), American TV actress
  • Louie Meadows (born 1961), American baseball player
  • Mark Meadows (disambiguation page), several individuals
  • Marion Meadows (born 1962), American jazz musician
  • Matthew Meadows (1938-2025), American politician
  • Michael Meadows (born 1955), British-South African physical geographer
  • Michael Meadows (born 1987), English racing driver
  • Miles Meadows, Canadian actor and singer
  • Peter S. Meadows, British political scientist
  • Punky Meadows (born 1950), American guitarist
  • Richard J. Meadows (1931–1995), American soldier
  • Rob Meadows (born 1976), American internet entrepreneur
  • Roy Meadow (born 1933), British paediatrician
  • Shane Meadows (born 1972), British film director
  • Sidney Meadows (c.1699–1792), British politician
  • Stanley Meadows (1931-2025), British actor
  • Stephen Meadows (born 1950), American actor and architect
  • Susannah Meadows, American journalist
  • Tae Meadows (born 2004), American football player
  • Tim Meadows (born 1961), American actor and comedian
  • Travis Meadows, American country musician
  • William Meadows (1833–1920), Anglo-American agriculturist and politician

Further reading

  • Surname Meadows on ancestry.co.uk
  • Meadows on SurnameDB