Meredith Vickers: The Etymology of the Name

Meredith

Pronunciation

/ˈmɛrɪdɪθ/ MERR-i-dith,
/mɛˈrɛdɪθ/ merr-ED-ith after the Welsh

Gender

Male or female

Origin

Welsh

Lord, Protector, Guardian of the sea or Great chief.

Vickers

This interesting surname, with variant spellings Vicars, Viccars and Vickars, has two possible origins. Firstly, it may be a patronymic surname for the “son of a vicar”, deriving from the Middle English “vicare”, plus the possessive ending “s”. Vicare was originally used to denote someone who carried out pastoral duties on behalf of the absentee holder of a benefice, and later became a regular word for a parish priest because in practice most benefice-holders were absentees. The final “s” however may also mean “servant of”, and would therefore be an occupational surname for one who worked for a vicar. The surname was first recorded in the early half of the 14th Century – Surname Database

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