Cheeves last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Cheeves

A surname derived from the Old English word "cēfe" meaning "cheerful" or "lively."

Cheeves, 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 Cheeves surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cheeves in America

Cheeves is the 64891st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cheeves surname appeared 306 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 Cheeves.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cheeves 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 64891 69201 -6.43%
Count 306 265 14.36%
Proportion per 100k 0.10 0.10 0.00%

The history of the last name Cheeves

The surname Cheeves has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "cheoce," meaning "cheek" or "jawbone," possibly referring to a physical characteristic or location.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, which mentions a Thomas Cheuese. The Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301 also reference a John de Cheves.

The name has various spellings throughout history, including Cheves, Cheevis, and Chevys. Some of these variations may have been influenced by place names, such as the village of Chevis in Hertfordshire.

In the 14th century, the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, where a William Cheuys is listed as a taxpayer. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327 also mention a Thomas Cheves.

During the 15th century, the name gained prominence with notable figures such as John Cheeves, a merchant and alderman in the city of London, who lived from 1420 to 1489.

In the 16th century, the surname is found in various records, including the Musters of Suffolk from 1522, which lists a John Cheves. The Visitation of Lincolnshire in 1592 also mentions a family with the name Cheeves.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the New World can be found in the records of the Virginia Company from 1619, where a Thomas Cheeves is listed as an immigrant to the Jamestown Colony.

Notable individuals with the surname Cheeves include Sir Edward Cheeves (1580-1648), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Maldon during the reign of King Charles I. Another prominent figure was William Cheeves (1701-1778), a British naval officer who played a role in the American Revolutionary War.

Other individuals of note include Mary Cheeves (1822-1905), an American writer and poet from South Carolina, and Edward Cheeves (1879-1953), a British actor and stage performer who appeared in several productions in London's West End.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cheeves

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

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 Cheeves was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 31.37% 96
Non-Hispanic Black Only 60.13% 184
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 4.90% 15
Hispanic Origin 1.96% 6

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 Cheeves has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 31.37% 38.87% -21.36%
Black 60.13% 58.11% 3.42%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 4.90% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 1.96% (S)% (S)%

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 Cheeves was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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"Cheeves last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 25, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/cheeves-surname-popularity/.

"Cheeves last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/cheeves-surname-popularity/. Accessed 25 November, 2024

Cheeves last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/cheeves-surname-popularity/.

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