Cheney (surname)


Cheney, originally de Cheney, is a toponymic surname of Old Norman origin, introduced into England by the Normans.
The derivation is from the Old French chesne, chesnai, "oak tree", "oak grove", from the medieval Latin casnetum. The surname may be either locational or topographical in origin. As a locational name, Cheyne may derive from any of the places named with the Old French "chesnai", such as Quesnay in Calvados and La Manche, Le Quesnay in Seine-Inferieure, or Quesnay-Guesnon in Calvados. As a topographical name, Cheyne denoted residence near a conspicuous oak tree, or in an oak forest. In some few cases, the surname may have originated as a nickname for a man with a "heart of oak". The surname is now found widespread in Scotland, where the first known bearer of the name is William de Chesne, who witnessed a charter in 1200. The development of the name includes the following examples and may refer to: