Churchar History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Churchar comes from when the family resided 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 Churchar family

The surname Churchar 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 Churchar family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Churchar research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1659, 1675, 1682 and 1723 are included under the topic Early Churchar History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Churchar 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. Churchar has been recorded under many different variations, including Churcher, Churchar, Churcham and others.

Early Notables of the Churchar family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

John Churchar of Midhurst, married into the distinguished Richardson family of Finden Place at the age of 95

Migration of the Churchar 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 Churchar or a variant listed above: Thomas Churcher who settled in Barbados in 1654; and a later Thomas arrived in Philadelphia in 1844.

Contemporary Notables of the name Churchar (post 1700) +

General John Churchar of Colchester, Essex

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)