NameCensus.

UK surname

Cheer

A name of English origin referring to cheer or joy.

In the 1881 census there were 201 people recorded with the Cheer surname, ranking it #12,791 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 170, ranked #21,801, down from #12,791 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Abingdon St Helen, Abingdon St Nicholas, Wolverhampton and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Boston, Milton Keynes and Northampton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cheer is 267 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 15.4%.

1881 census count

201

Ranked #12,791

Modern count

170

2016, ranked #21,801

Peak year

1911

267 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cheer had 201 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,791 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 170 in 2016, ranked #21,801.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 267 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Cheer surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cheer surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cheer 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 176 #11,489
1861 historical 169 #13,823
1881 historical 201 #12,791
1891 historical 264 #12,235
1901 historical 246 #13,269
1911 historical 267 #12,360
1997 modern 199 #17,668
1998 modern 199 #18,177
1999 modern 200 #18,237
2000 modern 206 #17,880
2001 modern 198 #18,047
2002 modern 219 #17,288
2003 modern 210 #17,559
2004 modern 207 #17,821
2005 modern 196 #18,404
2006 modern 190 #18,898
2007 modern 193 #18,923
2008 modern 200 #18,640
2009 modern 207 #18,600
2010 modern 209 #18,893
2011 modern 207 #18,841
2012 modern 191 #19,802
2013 modern 189 #20,273
2014 modern 190 #20,374
2015 modern 179 #21,069
2016 modern 170 #21,801

Geography

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Where Cheers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Abingdon St Helen, Abingdon St Nicholas, Wolverhampton, London parishes and Sutton Courtney. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Boston, Milton Keynes, Northampton, West Berkshire and Southampton. 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 Abingdon St Helen, Abingdon St Nicholas Berkshire
2 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
3 London parishes London 1
4 Sutton Courtney Berkshire
5 London parishes London 3

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Boston 007 Boston
2 Milton Keynes 003 Milton Keynes
3 Northampton 001 Northampton
4 West Berkshire 020 West Berkshire
5 Southampton 028 Southampton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cheer

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cheer

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Cheer, 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 Cheer surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Cheer 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, Cheer 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

Cheer is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

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

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Cheer falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Cheer 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 Cheer, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Cheer

The surname Cheer originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "cere" or "chere," which means "mood" or "expression." The name was likely given as a descriptive surname to someone with a cheerful or pleasant demeanor.

The earliest known record of the surname Cheer dates back to the 13th century. One of the earliest documented references is in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273, which mentions a person named Alicia Chere.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various forms, including Chere, Chear, and Cheere. It was most prevalent in the counties of Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Buckinghamshire.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Cheer. However, it does mention several place names that may have contributed to the formation of the surname, such as Cere in Hampshire and Chereberge in Wiltshire.

One notable figure with the surname Cheer was Sir Walter Cheer, a 14th-century English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War. He was born around 1320 and died in 1392.

Another early bearer of the name was John Cheer, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London during the 15th century. He was born circa 1420 and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1477.

In the 16th century, the surname was also found in Scotland, where it was sometimes spelled as Cheir or Cheyre. One example is Robert Cheyr, a Scottish landowner and merchant who lived in Edinburgh in the mid-1500s.

A notable figure from the 17th century was Sir John Cheer, an English politician and lawyer who served as the Recorder of London from 1671 to 1685. He was born in 1630 and died in 1696.

In the 18th century, the surname Cheer was also present in Ireland. One example is Patrick Cheer, an Irish poet and writer who was born in County Cork in 1740 and gained recognition for his satirical works.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cheer families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cheer 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. Berkshire leads with 74 Cheers recorded in 1881 and an index of 50.29x.

County Total Index
Berkshire 74 50.29x
Surrey 26 2.72x
Middlesex 22 1.12x
Lancashire 17 0.73x
Lincolnshire 10 3.19x
Oxfordshire 8 6.61x
Yorkshire 8 0.41x
Buckinghamshire 7 5.91x
Northamptonshire 7 3.80x
Cheshire 5 1.16x
Devon 4 0.98x
Essex 3 0.78x
Gloucestershire 3 0.78x
Worcestershire 3 1.17x
Bedfordshire 1 0.99x
Kent 1 0.15x
Somerset 1 0.32x
Sussex 1 0.30x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Sutton Wick in Berkshire leads with 18 Cheers recorded in 1881 and an index of 7500.00x.

Place Total Index
Sutton Wick 18 7500.00x
Battersea 16 22.18x
Abingdon St Helen 15 348.84x
Reading St Mary 13 110.26x
Drayton 10 2380.95x
Reading St Giles 10 69.25x
Newton 9 50.20x
Leeds 8 7.29x
Ecton 7 1707.32x
Croydon 6 11.31x
Oxford St Ebbe 6 168.54x
South Hinksey 6 937.50x
St Luke London 6 19.08x
Boston 5 52.58x
Congleton 5 66.84x
Hammersmith London 5 10.35x
Upton Cum Chalvey 5 105.93x
Bradford 4 36.73x
Horncastle 4 123.46x
Plymouth St Andrew 4 12.72x
Feckenham 3 102.39x
Manchester 3 2.87x
Westbury On Trym 3 23.02x
Laleham 2 540.54x
Newington 2 2.76x
Paddington London 2 2.77x
Shepperton 2 229.89x
Abingdon St Nicholas 1 243.90x
Banbury 1 41.32x
Barnes 1 24.75x
Bedford St Paul 1 14.37x
Bensington 1 129.87x
Clerkenwell London 1 2.16x
Clewer 1 16.58x
Enfield 1 7.78x
Great Marlow 1 31.25x
Great Missenden 1 68.49x
Islington London 1 0.53x
Kensington London 1 0.92x
Lambeth 1 0.59x
Little Hallingbury 1 256.41x
Long Ashton 1 63.69x
Margate St John Baptist 1 8.16x
Prestwich 1 17.24x
St Ann Blackfriars London 1 277.78x
St Peterat Gowts Lincoln 1 22.68x
Stondon Massey 1 555.56x
Uckfield 1 69.44x
Walthamstow 1 7.18x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 18
Sarah 10
Annie 6
Eliza 5
Elizabeth 5
Jane 5
Alice 4
Ann 4
Ellen 4
Emma 4
Hannah 4
Esther 3
Martha 3
Ada 2
Hellen 2
Jessie 2
Julia 2
Amelia 1
Amy 1
Anna 1
Augusta 1
Caroline 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
E.A. 1
Elizth. 1
Emilie 1
Emily 1
Flora 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Gertrude 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Helen 1
Jame 1
Jesse 1
Josephine 1
Kate 1
Lety 1
Lilly 1
Louisa 1
Margret 1
Matilda 1
Rosa 1
Rose 1
Rosini 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Cheer surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cheer surname in 1881?

In 1881, 201 people were recorded with the Cheer surname. That placed it at #12,791 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cheer surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 170 in 2016. That gives Cheer a modern rank of #21,801.

What does the Cheer surname mean?

A name of English origin referring to cheer or joy.

What does the Cheer map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Cheer 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.