Find out how popular the last name Cheese is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cheese.

Cheese, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cheese surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cheese in America

Cheese is the 45959th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cheese surname appeared 464 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Cheese.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cheese to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Cheese

The surname "Cheese" is of English origin, derived from an occupational name for a maker or seller of cheese. It likely emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century, when surnames began to be adopted more widely.

The name is believed to have originated in rural areas where cheese-making was a common occupation. It may have been derived from the Old English word "cyse," which referred to the dairy product. Alternatively, it could have been derived from the Middle English word "chese," which was a variant spelling of the modern word "cheese."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "Cheese" can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like record compiled in England during the reign of King Edward I. The name appears as "Chese" in this document, indicating its early variant spelling.

In the 14th century, a man named John Chese was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, England, in 1348. This record provides evidence of the surname's use and its association with the cheese-making trade during that time.

Another notable bearer of the surname was William Cheese, a prominent English merchant and landholder who lived in the 15th century. He is mentioned in various historical records from the reign of King Henry VI, demonstrating the surname's prevalence among the prosperous classes.

In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname "Cheese" was John Cheese, a Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake in 1555 during the reign of Queen Mary I for his religious beliefs. His sacrifice is recorded in John Foxe's famous work, "Acts and Monuments," also known as the "Book of Martyrs."

In the 17th century, the surname "Cheese" was associated with several notable individuals, including Richard Cheese, a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as a Member of Parliament and a Justice of the King's Bench during the reign of King Charles I.

As the surname spread across England, it also gave rise to various place names that incorporated the word "Cheese," such as Cheeseburn in Northumberland and Cheesefoot Head in Hampshire, reflecting the close association between the surname and the cheese-making industry.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cheese

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cheese.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cheese was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cheese has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Cheese was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cheese, please contact us.

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