Chesney Name Origin and Family Crest

Some records give Cheney; others give Chesney. Both point to the same English family name. Name scholars give the meaning as “Oak grove”. The extra “s” in Chesney is a spelling habit rather than a different name. Local scribes, dialects and emigration all left their mark on how the name was written. Other spellings include Cheyne.

According to the 2010 US Census, the Chesney surname had 4,491 bearers. French birth records list 347 children named Chesney between 1891 and 2000. There were 12 such births in the 1890s and 30 in the 1990s.

Heraldry is personal: arms associated with the Cheney surname were borne by specific families, and sharing the name does not mean sharing the blazon. Get the complete Chesney report, with a museum-style coat of arms.