Chychar History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestry of the name Chychar dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived 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 Chychar family

The surname Chychar 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 Chychar family

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

Chychar Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Chychar have been found, including Churcher, Churchar, Churcham and others.

Early Notables of the Chychar family

Notables 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 Chychar Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Chychar family

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Chychar, or a variant listed above: Thomas Churcher who settled in Barbados in 1654; and a later Thomas arrived in Philadelphia in 1844.

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)