Surname Cheston - Meaning and Origin
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Cheston: What does the surname Cheston mean?
The last name Cheston is of English origin, and is derived from a place name. The Old English word ce(a)stun means "a fortified settlement," and many places throughout the country once bearing this name are now known by other names.
It is believed that the Cheston name is an Anglicization of the Saxon personal name Ceastun, which means "head of a fortified settlement." The name was likely given to the head of a village or hamlet that was either held by the lord of the manor and/or defended by a castle or walling.
Area records show that the Cheston family held estates in Yorkshire, Devon, Cornwall, and Essex since at least the mid 1300s. In 1379, the earliest known record of the name, a William Cheston is mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, England.
By the 1600s, several variants of the Cheston name had appeared, including Chesham, Chestea, Chestney, and Chetman. The name was particularly common in Devon and Cornwall. Many members of the Cheston family joined the exodus of English emigrants to the American colonies in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
Today, Cheston is still a common surname in the English-speaking countries of the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
Order DNA origin analysisCheston: Where does the name Cheston come from?
The last name Cheston is most commonly found in the United States today. The name appears to have originated in England. In the 1880 US Census, the Cheston name was predominantly found in Pennsylvania. By 1910, many Cheston households had moved to states surrounding Pennsylvania, such as Maryland, Virginia, and Ohio.
According to an Ancestry.com database from 2020, the states with the most Cheston households are Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, California, Texas, and Florida. However, the last name is still spread throughout other parts of the country, including the Midwestern and Southern regions.
The Cheston name is a derivative of the English name Chester, which originated as a last name derived from Chester, England. The meaning of the name is “city fort”—referencing the city walls that have surrounded Chester since Roman times.
Though the Cheston last name is still widespread in the US today, it is much less common than some other English last names, like Smith or Jones. This suggests the presence of Cheston's today is more likely due to family connections, rather than a shared heritage.
Variations of the surname Cheston
The surname Cheston originated from pre-medieval personal names (typically given to a boy), deriving ultimately from the Greek “christos” meaning anointed. As a result, there are many variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for Cheston.
The most common variant spelling of Cheston is Chestin. Other variant spellings include Chesten, Cheston, Chestyn, Cheston, Chesten, Chestun, Chestan, Chiston, Chesten, and Cheston.
The surname Cheston may have also been spelled differently when it was adopted by different families. Some common variant spellings of the surname include Chessen, Cheshin, Cheshinin, Chisen, Cheshon, Chishyn, Chishim, Chishin, and Chessick.
Surnames of the same origin as Cheston include Chestnut, Chestner, Chestney, Chestona, Chesto, Chaisty, Chiste, Chistey, Chisted, Chistol, Chisty, Chistell and Chistor.
In many cases, the surnames of the same origin have developed into separate and distinct surnames over time. Examples of this include Chester, which is derived from an Old English personal name “Ceaster”, and Chew, which originates from an Old English placename. Additionally, Chesley is thought to come from the Old English personal name “Ceola”.
The surname Cheston is not unique to any specific region but is more common in England and Scotland. However, it is also found in Wales, Ireland, Australia, Canada, and the United States.
Famous people with the name Cheston
- Mike Cheston, American film and television producer
- Jackson Cheston, professional basketball player
- John Cheston, American literary critic
- Elizabeth Cheston, British artist
- Joe Cheston, retired American football defensive tackle
- Alex Cheston, American former professional soccer player
- Melanie Cheston, Australian rules footballer
- Tyler Cheston, American singer-songwriter
- Doug Cheston, Brazilian-American speed skating competitor
- Les Cheston, British record producer