Contents [hide]

Cherry History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Cherry History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Cherry is a name that was carried to England in the great wave of migration from Normandy following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Cherry family lived in Lincolnshire. They are descended from the line of the House of De Cheries, Seigneurs of Brauvel, Beauval, in Normandy, near Avranches. The name Cherry is derived from the Anglo Norman French word, cherise, which means cherry, 1 and was probably used to indicate a landmark, such as a cherry tree, which distinguished the location bearing the name.

Early Origins of the Cherry family

The surname Cherry was first found in Derbyshire, The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list William Chirie. 2 A few years later in 1284, the Assize Rolls of Lancashire list Rober Chyry. The Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk list Richard Chery in 1524. 1

Early History of the Cherry family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cherry research. Another 198 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1348, 1368, 1484, 1509, 1524, 1665, 1683, 1706, 1713 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Cherry History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cherry Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Cherry were recorded, including Cherry, Cherrie, Cherrey, Cherries, Chery, Chearie, Chearry, Cherie and many more.

Early Notables of the Cherry family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Francis Cherry (1665-1713), an English layman and non-juror, known as a philanthropist and benefactor

Cherry Ranking

In the United States, the name Cherry is the 780^th most popular surname with an estimated 37,305 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Cherry family to Ireland

Some of the Cherry family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cherry migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Cherry arrived in North America very early:

Cherry Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Cherry, who landed in America in Virginia in 1637
John Cherry, who landed in Virginia in 1637 4
Franc. Cherry, who arrived in Virginia in 1643
Franc Cherry, who landed in Virginia in 1643 4
Richard Cherry, who landed in Virginia in 1655 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cherry Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mary Cherry, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1705 4
George Cherry, who arrived in Charleston South Carolina in 1772 4

Cherry Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Christoper Cherry, aged 35, who arrived in New York in 1812 4
James Cherry, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1836 4
Robert Cherry, who landed in New York in 1846 4
Cummings Cherry, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1853 4
Catherine, David, Gabriel, James, Robert, and William Cherry, who, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1771 and 1872

Cherry migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cherry Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Edward Cherry, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749

Cherry Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Stephen Cherry, who arrived in Canada in 1831

Cherry migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Cherry Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

James Cherry, English convict from Bedford, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on July 29th, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 5
Thomas Cherry, a weaver, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
William Cherry, English convict from Bedford, who was transported aboard the "America" on April 4, 1829, settling in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. William Cherry who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 3rd October 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Miss Jean Cherry, (Mair), Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Buffalo" on 4th May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cherry migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Cherry Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Edwin Cherry, aged 32, a wheelwright, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Coromandel" in 1840
Ann E. Cherry, aged 30, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Coromandel" in 1840
Mr. William Cherry, British settler arriving as Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Sir George Symour" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 9
Mrs. Margaret Cherry, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Sir George Symour" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 9
Mr. James Cherry, Scottish ploughman from Torphichen travelling from Leith aboard the ship "Strathallan" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 8th January 1858 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Cherry (post 1700) +

Mike Cherry (1943-2024), American politician from Kentucky from 1999-2013
John R. Cherry III (1948-2022), American film director and screenwriter, most notable for creating the character of Ernest P. Worrell, played by Jim Varney
Lorinda Landgraf Cherry (1944-2022), American computer scientist and programmer at Bell Labs where she developed many mathematical tools and utilities for text formatting and analysi
William W. Cherry, American politician, Delegate to Whig National Convention from North Carolina, 1839
U. S. G. Cherry (b. 1863), American Democratic Party politician, South Dakota Democratic State Chair, 1896; Candidate for justice of South Dakota State Supreme Court, 1904; Candidate for U.S. Senator from South Dakota, 1920, 1924
Thomas Franklin Cherry (b. 1866), American Democratic Party politician, Member of North Carolina State House of Representatives from Edgecombe County, 1913-16
Shirley Cherry, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Rhode Island, 2000
Mrs. S. A. Cherry, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alabama, 1972
Robert Gregg Cherry (1891-1957), American Democratic Party politician
Robert E. Cherry, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1964
... (Another 43 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Cherry family +

RMS Titanic

Miss Gladys Cherry, aged 30, English First Class passenger from London, England who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 8 10

The Cherry Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Cheris l'espoir
Motto Translation: Cherish hope.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 151 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1823
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 26) America voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1829 with 176 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/america/1829
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/buffalo
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html