Chidsey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Chidsey

What does the name Chidsey mean?

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Chidsey come from when the family resided in the parish of Chedzoy, near Bridgewater in the county of Somerset, England. "The church [of Chedzoy] is a spacious cruciform structure in the Norman style, with a lofty embattled tower, and a north and south porch, over the latter of which is the date 1579. Roman coins have frequently been discovered. " 1

Chedzoy dates back to Saxon times when it was first recorded as Chedesie, in 729 and literally meant "island or dry ground in marsh, of a man called *Cedd," from the Old English personal name + "eg." 2

Alternatively, the name could have originated in "Chevtsey, a town in Surrey, England, near the Thames, pronounced by the natives, Chedsey, meaning 'Cerot's Island.'" 3

Early Origins of the Chidsey family

The surname Chidsey was first found in Somerset, England. "Chedgey in the London Directory is a very natural variant.' 4

Early History of the Chidsey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chidsey research. Another 154 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1349, 1369, 1510, 1528, 1531, 1574 and 1778 are included under the topic Early Chidsey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chidsey Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Chidsey has been recorded under many different variations, including Chedzoy, Chedzey, Chidzoy, Chedgey, Chedsey, Chidgey, Chidsey, Chedesy and many more.

Early Notables of the Chidsey family

William Chedsey or Cheadsey (1510?-1574?), English divine, a native of Somersetshire. "He was admitted a scholar of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, 10 March 1528, was elected a...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Chidsey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Chidsey family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Chidsey or a variant listed above: John Chedsey who arrived in New Haven, Connecticut in 1644.

Contemporary Notables of the name Chidsey (post 1700) +

Thomas Chidsey, American jurist, Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Alan Lake Chidsey, assistant dean of students of the University of Chicago

Sources +

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)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)