An English surname, Meadows comes from the Old English terms ‘maed’ and ‘maedwe’ which refers to a grassy area, a meadow. The spelling variations for Meadows include Meadow, Meddows, Medus, Medis, Meadowes, Meadus and Meddus. In England the earliest Meadows families lived in Suffolk. They spread over the centuries to all of England and most of Wales. The areas with the greatest Meadows populations are the city of London, Northamptonshire, Suffolk and Lancashire. In Scotland the Orkney Islands to the east of the country have many Meadows families living there. Also in Midlothian and Fife are Meadows families. Within the United States the Meadows families originated in Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Texas, Missouri and Kentucky. Famous: Jayne Meadows (television actress), Shane Meadows (English movie film director), Audrey Meadows (television actress), Donella Meadows (environmental scientist), Gavin Meadows (champion freestyle swimmer from England), Daniel Meadows (English photographer) and Jenny Brenda Meadows (champion runner for England).