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| Origins Available: |
| | England |
The rich and ancient history of the Cheeves family name dates back to the time of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It comes from the baptismal name for the son of Geoffrey. "The Yorkshire Poll Tax contains endless references to Jeff, or Geff, or Gep; v. Gipp and Jeffs and Jephson. No wonder therefore that corrupted forms have come down to us; v. Geeves, where the Yorkshire instances will be found clearly explained." 1
However, another source claims the name was originally Norman as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists Peter de Cheef (Jeffs), Normandy, 1180-95. 2
The surname Cheeves was first found in Somerset where Thomas Jeve was the first recording of the family, I Edward III (during the first year's reign of King Edward III.) 3
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cheeves research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1279, 1349, 1369 and 1578 are included under the topic Early Cheeves History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Cheeves have been found, including Jeeves, Jeeve, Jeves, Jeve, Geeves, Geeve, Geve and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Cheeves Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Among the first immigrants of the name Cheeves, or a variant listed above to cross the Atlantic and come to North America were : John Jeeves, who sailed to Virginia in 1654.