Meadows (surname)

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
• 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 (active 1908), 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, American jazz musician
• Matthew Meadows (born 1938), 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 (born 1931), British actor
• Stephen Meadows (born 1950), American actor and architect
• Susannah Meadows, American journalist
• Tim Meadows (born 1961), American actor and comedian
• Travis Meadows, American country musician
• William Meadows (1833–1920), Anglo-American agriculturist and politician