Check History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe name Check is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. Check was a name used for 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 Check familyThe surname Check 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 Check familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Check 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 Check History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Check Spelling VariationsUntil the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Check include Cheek, Cheeke, Cheeks, Cheke, Chick, Chicke and others. Early Notables of the Check familyNotables 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 translatorSir Thomas Cheek or Cheke (died 1659), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons (1604-1653)... Check RankingIn the United States, the name Check is the 17,833rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6 Migration of the Check familyThousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Check were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: 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..
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