Chuse History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Chuse

What does the name Chuse mean?

The history of the name Chuse dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from a member of the family who worked as a cheese-maker or seller of cheese. The surname Chuse is derived from the Old English word cese and the West Saxon word cyse, which both mean cheese. 1 Occupational names frequently refer to the principal object associated with the activity of the original bearer, such as tools or products. These types of occupational surnames are called metonymic surnames. The surname Chuse belongs to this class of names. So as to underline this point, we found Walter le cheser listed in Herefordshire in 1366. 1

Early Origins of the Chuse family

The surname Chuse was first found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 where John Chese, Norfolk; and Hamo Chese, Salop (Shropshire) are listed. 2

Eluding to the possible Norman origin of the name one source notes that the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists John Fromage of Normandy, 1195 and that the Hundredorum Rolls of c. 1272 includes an entry for Peter Fromage of England. This same source notes that entries after this point change from French "fromage" to the English term "cheese." 3

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 include: Ricardus Chese; and Thomas Chese. 2

Early History of the Chuse family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chuse research. Another 206 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1279, 1332, 1366, 1379, 1500, 1597, 1771 and 1808 are included under the topic Early Chuse History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chuse 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 Chuse has undergone many spelling variations, including Cheese, Chese, Chuse, Chouse, Cheser, Chesse and others.

Early Notables of the Chuse family

Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Chuse Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Chuse family

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 Chuse were among those contributors: Edmund Cheese who arrived in New York in 1832 and Robert Cheese in Mississippi in 1890.

Sources +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)