Cheney is a surname is of Old French origin, introduced into England by the Normans after the Conquest of 1066. The derivation is from the Old French "chesne, chesnai", oak tree, oak grove, from the medieval Latin "casnetum", and 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:
People from England
C. R. Cheney (1906-1987), medieval historian
Elizabeth Cheney, Lady Say (1422–1473), English aristocrat
Thomas Cheney (c. 1485-1558), Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
Eric Cheney (1924-2001), an independent British motorcycle designer and manufacturer
Ben Cheney (1905-1971), lumber businessman
Benjamin Pierce Cheney (1815-1895), American businessman
Brainard Cheney (1900-1990), Georgia novelist, playwright and essayist
Charles E. Cheney (1836-1916), Reformed Episcopal Church bishop from New York
Chris Cheney (born 1975), guitarist and lead singer of Australian rock band The Living End
Colin Cheney (born 1978), American poet
David D. Cheney (1822-1904), Wisconsin State Assembly member
David W. Cheney (1859-?), Wisconsin State Assembly member
Dick Cheney (born 1941), 46th Vice President of the United States
Lynne Cheney (born 1941), Dick Cheney's wife
Liz Cheney (born 1966), Dick Cheney's daughter
Mary Cheney (born 1969), Dick Cheney's daughter
Dorothy Cheney (1916-2014), tennis player
Edith C. Cheney (1888–1953), New York assemblywoman 1940–1944
Ednah Dow Littlehale Cheney (1824-1904), Boston writer, reformer and philanthropist
Edwin Cheney (1869-1942), commissioned the Frank Lloyd Wright Cheney House
Ellen Cheney Johnson (1829-1899), American prison reformer
Elliott Ward Cheney, Jr., University of Texas mathematician and professor
Emily Cheney Neville (1919-1997), author and Newbury Medal winner
George Edward Cheney, American educator and internationally recognized leader in the area of organizational communication
Grahame Cheney (born 1969), Australian boxer
Guy W. Cheney (1886–1939), New York politician
Hampton J. Cheney (1836-1927), American politician
Harriet Vaughan Cheney (1796-1889), American-Canadian novelist
Howard Lovewell Cheney (1889-1969), American architect and engineer, who designed Washington National Airport
Howell Cheney (1870-1957), American silk manufacturer
Ian Cheney, American film producer
Janice Wright-Cheney, Canadian textile artist
John Cheney (disambiguation), several people
Kimberly B. Cheney (born 1935), Vermont attorney general
Kyle Cheney (born 1989), Australian rules football player
Larry Cheney (1886-1969), American baseball player
Lauren Cheney (born 1987), American soccer player
Louis R. Cheney (1859-1944), Connecticut businessman and politician
Martha Cheney (born 1953), American author
Mary Moulton Cheney (1871–1957), artist and visual arts educator in Minneapolis
Mary Young Cheney Greeley (1811/1814–1872), wife of Horace Greeley
May L. Cheney (1862-1942), California educator and Appointment Secretary at University of California, Berkeley
Moses Cheney (1793-1875), abolitionist, printer and legislator from New Hampshire
Nelson W. Cheney (1875–1944), New York politician
Oren B. Cheney (1816-1903), abolitionist, founder of Bates College
Person C. Cheney (1828-1901), United States Senator, Governor of New Hampshire
Peter Cheney, Canadian newspaper writer
Ray Cheney, rugby union player and sportsman from Wales
Rufus Cheney, Jr., Wisconsin State Assembly member
Russell Cheney (1881-1945), American painter
Ruth Cheney Streeter (1895-1990), the first director of the United States Marine Corps Women's Reserve (USMCWR)
Seth Wells Cheney (1810-1856), American artist and pioneer of crayon work
Sheldon Warren Cheney (1886-1980), American author and critic
Stephen A. Cheney, U. S. Marine Corps brigadier general
Syl Cheney-Coker (born 1945), poet, novelist and journalist from Sierra Leone
Thomas C. Cheney (1868–1957), Vermont politician
Tom Cheney (disambiguation), several people
Ward Cheney (1813-1876), American pioneer manufacturer of silk fabrics
Cheney (surname) Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA
