Cheatham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The lineage of the name Cheatham begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in Cheetham, in the county of Lancashire. It is from the place-name Cheetham that the family name is derived.

Early Origins of the Cheatham family

The surname Cheatham was first found in Lancashire at Cheetham, a township, in the parish and union of Manchester, hundred of Salford. 1 Now part of Greater Manchester, Cheetham dates back to the late 12th century and literally meant "homestead or village by the wood called Chet," from the Celtic word "ced" meaning "forest" and the Old English word "ham." 2 The ancient archeological site Cheetham Close, a megalithic site and scheduled ancient monument is nearby and is generally thought to have been a druidical ritual place with a Roman road passed 'within two hundred yards' of the megalith. As far as the surname is concerned, one of the first records was Geoffrey de Chetham who was listed in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1246. Over one hundred years later, Thomas de Cheteham was listed in Lancashire in 1394. 3 Another branch of the family was found at Allerton in Lancashire. "At the time of the Domesday Survey, three thanes held 'Alretune;' which was in the possession of Geoffrey de Chetham in the reign of Henry III." 1

Early History of the Cheatham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cheatham research. Another 58 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1580, 1640, 1648, 1653 and 1692 are included under the topic Early Cheatham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cheatham Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Cheatham has undergone many spelling variations, including Chetham, Cheetham, Cheetam, Cheetum and others.

Early Notables of the Cheatham family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir Edward Chetham; and Colonel John Chetham of Southhill House in Somerset, from a branch of the Derbyshire family.Humphrey Chetham, (1580-1653), was founder of the Chetham Hospital and Library, fifth son of Henry Chetham of Crumpsall Hall, near Mandiester, a prosperous merchant of that town. He was baptised at the collegiate church of Manchester on 10 July 1580. He received his education at the Manchester grammar school under Dr. Thomas Cogan. "For several years before his death he had 'taken up and maintained' twenty-two poor boys of Manchester, Salford, and Droylsden; and...
Another 99 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cheatham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cheatham Ranking

In the United States, the name Cheatham is the 2,643^rd most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Cheatham family to Ireland

Some of the Cheatham family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cheatham migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Cheatham were among those contributors:

Cheatham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James C Cheatham, who arrived in Texas in 1835 5
Henry Cheatham, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
Isaac Cheatham, aged 44, who arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "Devonia" from Glasgow, Scotland 6

Cheatham Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mrs. R. Cheatham, aged 44, who arrived in New York in 1905 aboard the ship "Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse" from Cherbourg, France 6
William Cheatham, aged 44, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "E. L. Doheny III" from Tuxpam, Mexico 6
William B. Cheatham, aged 67, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Allianca" from Cristobal, C.Z. 6

Cheatham migration to Australia +

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

Cheatham Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Cheatham, (b. 1787), aged 32, English convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1832 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Cheatham (post 1700) +

Jimmy Cheatham (1924-2007), American jazz trombonist and teacher
Katherine "Kitty" Cheatham (1864-1946), American singer and actress
Maree Cheatham (b. 1942), American daytime serial actress
Adolphus Anthony "Doc" Cheatham (1905-1997), American jazz trumpeter, singer, and bandleader
Benjamin Franklin "Frank" Cheatham (1820-1886), Tennessee aristocrat, California gold miner, and a General in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War
Henry Plummer Cheatham (1857-1935), American Republican politician, U.S. Representative from North Carolina 2nd District, 1889-93; Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Carolina, 1904 8
George F. II Cheatham, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kentucky, 1996 8
Edward Saunders Cheatham (1818-1878), American politician, Member of Tennessee State House of Representatives, 1853-55; Member of Tennessee State Senate, 1855-57, 1861-63 8
Boyd M. Cheatham, American politician, Member of Tennessee State Legislature 8
B. F. Cheatham (1821-1886), American politician, Candidate for Mayor of Nashville, Tennessee, 1857 8
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Cheatham 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: Quod tuum tene
Motto Translation: Hold what is yours

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"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)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html