NameCensus.

UK surname

Cheater

A surname derived from the term "to cheat," suggesting an ancestor engaged in deceitful behavior.

In the 1881 census there were 230 people recorded with the Cheater surname, ranking it #11,748 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 212, ranked #18,843, down from #11,748 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ringwood, Romsey Extra, Michelmersh and South Stoneham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Southampton, North Somerset and New Forest.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cheater is 288 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 7.8%.

1881 census count

230

Ranked #11,748

Modern count

212

2016, ranked #18,843

Peak year

1911

288 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cheater had 230 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,748 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 212 in 2016, ranked #18,843.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 288 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Cheater surname distribution map

The map shows where the Cheater surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Cheater surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cheater over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 189 #10,896
1861 historical 163 #14,242
1881 historical 230 #11,748
1891 historical 257 #12,476
1901 historical 255 #12,965
1911 historical 288 #11,757
1997 modern 213 #16,948
1998 modern 213 #17,431
1999 modern 218 #17,258
2000 modern 225 #16,891
2001 modern 205 #17,683
2002 modern 202 #18,189
2003 modern 204 #17,909
2004 modern 211 #17,590
2005 modern 197 #18,339
2006 modern 200 #18,294
2007 modern 200 #18,485
2008 modern 202 #18,528
2009 modern 215 #18,179
2010 modern 216 #18,492
2011 modern 226 #17,792
2012 modern 217 #18,184
2013 modern 213 #18,743
2014 modern 216 #18,705
2015 modern 213 #18,769
2016 modern 212 #18,843

Geography

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Where Cheaters are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ringwood, Romsey Extra, Michelmersh, South Stoneham, Southampton St Mary and King's Sombourn (incl. Upper Eldon), Little Sombourn, Stockbridge. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Southampton, North Somerset, New Forest, East Dorset and Bournemouth. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Ringwood Hampshire
2 Romsey Extra, Michelmersh Hampshire
3 South Stoneham Hampshire
4 Southampton St Mary Hampshire
5 King's Sombourn (incl. Upper Eldon), Little Sombourn, Stockbridge Hampshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Southampton 003 Southampton
2 North Somerset 024 North Somerset
3 New Forest 012 New Forest
4 East Dorset 005 East Dorset
5 Bournemouth 014 Bournemouth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cheater

These lists show first names that appear often with the Cheater surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cheater

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Cheater, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Cheater surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Cheater household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Cheater is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Cheater is most concentrated in decile 6 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Cheater falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Cheater is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Cheater, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Cheater

The surname "CHEATER" is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "cēat," which meant a small hut or cottage, often temporary or rudimentary in nature. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in such a humble dwelling or worked as a builder of these primitive structures.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a John le Chetere is mentioned. The prefix "le" in this spelling indicates a French influence, as Old French was widely used in England following the Norman Conquest. Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, including Chetyr, Chetter, and eventually Cheater.

In the 15th century, the Cheater surname appeared in several historical records from the county of Gloucestershire. A Robert Cheter is listed in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1428, while a William Chetyr is mentioned in the Gloucestershire Feet of Fines from 1480. These records suggest that the name had spread across the West Midlands region of England by this time.

One notable figure with the Cheater surname was John Cheater, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol during the 16th century. He was born in 1523 and served as Mayor of Bristol in 1573. Another individual of note was William Cheater (1554-1627), a farmer and landowner from the village of Bibury in Gloucestershire.

In the 17th century, the Cheater surname can be found in the parish records of several English counties, including Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, and Warwickshire. A Thomas Cheater is recorded as being baptized in the village of Corston in Wiltshire in 1642, while a Mary Cheater married John Wilkins in the parish of Fladbury, Worcestershire, in 1685.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Cheater name in North America was William Cheater, who immigrated to Virginia from England in the late 17th century. He settled in Middlesex County and is recorded as owning land there in 1704. Another early American with this surname was John Cheater, who was born in Massachusetts in 1712.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cheater families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cheater surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Hampshire leads with 128 Cheaters recorded in 1881 and an index of 27.83x.

County Total Index
Hampshire 128 27.83x
Middlesex 25 1.11x
Dorset 10 6.79x
Essex 9 2.03x
Warwickshire 9 1.59x
Hertfordshire 8 5.17x
Surrey 8 0.73x
Lancashire 6 0.23x
Wiltshire 6 3.02x
Kent 5 0.65x
Berkshire 3 1.78x
Gloucestershire 3 0.68x
Buckinghamshire 2 1.47x
Sussex 2 0.53x
Cheshire 1 0.20x
Devon 1 0.21x
Leicestershire 1 0.40x
Lincolnshire 1 0.28x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.33x
Somerset 1 0.28x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ringwood in Hampshire leads with 21 Cheaters recorded in 1881 and an index of 714.29x.

Place Total Index
Ringwood 21 714.29x
Kings Somborne 18 1875.00x
Southampton St Mary 14 48.41x
Fordingbridge 11 440.00x
Aston 9 5.78x
St Pancras London 9 4.98x
Rickmansworth 8 187.79x
Shaftesbury St Peter 8 1159.42x
Brentwood 7 259.26x
Droxford 7 400.00x
Christchurch 6 60.18x
Everton 6 7.07x
Islington London 6 2.76x
Michelmersh 6 674.16x
Southampton All Sts 5 63.37x
Stockbridge 5 746.27x
Bramshaw 4 689.66x
Fetcham 4 1111.11x
South Stoneham 4 40.08x
Whitchurch 4 273.97x
Botley 3 361.45x
Deptford St Paul 3 5.08x
Hursley 3 280.37x
Millbrook 3 25.91x
Salisbury St Edmund 3 94.34x
Withington 3 625.00x
Bishops Waltham 2 104.17x
Clerkenwell London 2 3.78x
Fisherton Anger 2 54.50x
Hampton London 2 54.20x
Horton 2 303.03x
Hound 2 64.10x
Portsea 2 2.22x
Romsey Extra 2 73.26x
St George Hanover Square 2 5.06x
Stanford Rivers 2 266.67x
Birkenhead 1 2.53x
Bray 1 20.20x
Brighton 1 1.31x
Camberwell 1 0.70x
Clevedon 1 26.60x
Codford St Peter 1 416.67x
Cranborne 1 56.18x
East Stockwith 1 400.00x
Epsom 1 18.76x
Godalming 1 14.53x
Hammersmith London 1 1.81x
Hampstead London 1 2.86x
Hastings St Mary 1 10.63x
Kilmiston 1 769.23x
Leatherhead 1 36.50x
Leicester St Margaret 1 1.65x
Lewisham 1 2.45x
Longstock 1 303.03x
Parkstone 1 58.14x
Reading St Mary 1 7.41x
Ryde 1 10.12x
Southampton 1 277.78x
St Budeaux 1 68.97x
Timsbury 1 625.00x
Tonbridge 1 3.62x
Tottenham 1 2.80x
Wantage 1 37.31x
Westminster St Margaret 1 9.24x
Whitsbury 1 714.29x
Wrawby 1 103.09x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Cheater surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 14
Sarah 12
Ellen 8
Elizabeth 7
Ann 6
Edith 4
Eliza 4
Emma 4
Fanny 4
Jane 4
Alice 3
Kate 3
Martha 3
Ada 2
Bessie 2
Eleanor 2
Emily 2
Harriet 2
Louisa 2
Rose 2
Agness 1
Annie 1
Bertha 1
Caroline 1
Clara 1
E. 1
Elenor 1
Eva 1
Eveline 1
Evia 1
Evias 1
Florence 1
Grace 1
H. 1
Hester 1
Hetty 1
Hope 1
Jemima 1
Lillian 1
Lillie 1
Lilly 1
Lousa 1
Lucy 1
Maria 1
Matilda 1
Maud 1
May 1
Minnie 1
Rachel 1
Sylvia 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Cheater surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
George 15
Charles 14
William 13
John 9
Thomas 8
Henry 7
Alfred 4
Arthur 4
Albert 3
Frederick 3
Cornelius 2
James 2
Joseph 2
Adolphus 1
Chas. 1
Edward 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Fredrick 1
G. 1
Howard 1
Luther 1
Richard 1
Stephen 1
Sydney 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Cheater surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cheater surname in 1881?

In 1881, 230 people were recorded with the Cheater surname. That placed it at #11,748 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cheater surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 212 in 2016. That gives Cheater a modern rank of #18,843.

What does the Cheater surname mean?

A surname derived from the term "to cheat," suggesting an ancestor engaged in deceitful behavior.

What does the Cheater map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Cheater bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.