Cheke History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Cheke is rooted in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It was a name for someone who was a 'chick' or one with a prominent jaw. 1 2 One source notes that while this etymology is the more typical understanding of the name, we should consider that it may have been a Norman name originally as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae notes that "William Cecus occurs in Normandy 1198." 3

Early Origins of the Cheke family

The surname Cheke was first found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 which included: Walter Chike, Oxfordshire. 4 Over in Somerset, Thomas Chike was listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year's reign of Edward III.) 5

Early History of the Cheke family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cheke research. Another 212 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1514, 1548, 1557, 1586, 1592, 1595, 1601, 1604, 1613, 1653, 1658 and 1659 are included under the topic Early Cheke History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cheke Spelling Variations

Cheke has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Cheke have been found, including Cheek, Cheeke, Cheeks, Cheke, Chick, Chicke and others.

Early Notables of the Cheke family

Notables of the family at this time include

Sir John Cheek (1514-1557) English humanist, Secretary of State, tutor to Edward VI and supporter of the Reformation. His son, Henry Cheke (1548?-1586?), was an English translator
Sir Thomas Cheek or Cheke (died 1659), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons (1604-1653); and his daughter, Essex Cheeke (d. 1658), later Dame Essex Bevil and then Countess of Manchest...

Migration of the Cheke family

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Chekes to arrive on North American shores: Phillip Cheeke who settled in Barbados in 1685; Henry Cheeke settled in Philadelphia in 1823; John Cheeke arrived in New York in 1823; George Cheek settled in Potomac Maryland in 1742..

Contemporary Notables of the name Cheke (post 1700) +

Sir John Cheke (1514-1557), English scholar
Dudley Cheke, Diplomat

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-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)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.