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![Show Contents]() Churcghan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The ancestors of the bearers of the Churcghan family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in Gloucestershire, where they took their name from the village of Churcham. The place-name is comprised of two elements: church and hamm. Church meant just that, and hamm was a Old English word for river meadow. The name meant "dweller by the church on the river meadow." One source claims the name could have been derived from the name Churchyard or a local name as in "at the churchay," from the residence nearby. 1 Early Origins of the Churcghan familyThe surname Churcghan was first found in Gloucestershire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. Early History of the Churcghan familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Churcghan research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1659, 1675, 1682 and 1723 are included under the topic Early Churcghan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Churcghan Spelling VariationsUntil quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Churcghan include Churcher, Churchar, Churcham and others. Early Notables of the Churcghan familyNotables of this surname at this time include: Richard Churcher (1659-1723), an English businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the British East India Company. He founded Churcher's College, a school in Hampshire. He was the eldest son of Richard Churcher, gentleman, of Funtington, Sussex, was born there in 1659. "He was apprenticed (1675-1682) to John Jacob, an eminent citizen and barber-surgeon of London...
Another 65 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Churcghan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Churcghan familySearching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Churcghan or a variant listed above: Thomas Churcher who settled in Barbados in 1654; and a later Thomas arrived in Philadelphia in 1844.
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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