NameCensus.

UK surname

Cherry

An English occupational surname referring to a person who sold cherries or lived near a cherry tree.

In the 1881 census there were 3,054 people recorded with the Cherry surname, ranking it #1,469 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,655, ranked #1,461, up from #1,469 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Silkstone, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cherwell, Ribble Valley and South Oxfordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cherry is 4,809 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 52.4%.

1881 census count

3,054

Ranked #1,469

Modern count

4,655

2016, ranked #1,461

Peak year

1999

4,809 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cherry had 3,054 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,469 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,655 in 2016, ranked #1,461.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,902 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Cherry surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cherry surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cherry 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 2,053 #1,412
1861 historical 2,186 #1,338
1881 historical 3,054 #1,469
1891 historical 3,414 #1,394
1901 historical 3,902 #1,444
1911 historical 3,872 #1,335
1997 modern 4,493 #1,463
1998 modern 4,740 #1,436
1999 modern 4,809 #1,424
2000 modern 4,727 #1,441
2001 modern 4,608 #1,445
2002 modern 4,698 #1,451
2003 modern 4,566 #1,455
2004 modern 4,586 #1,448
2005 modern 4,476 #1,464
2006 modern 4,460 #1,473
2007 modern 4,501 #1,467
2008 modern 4,551 #1,462
2009 modern 4,645 #1,469
2010 modern 4,722 #1,481
2011 modern 4,672 #1,471
2012 modern 4,584 #1,469
2013 modern 4,666 #1,475
2014 modern 4,700 #1,470
2015 modern 4,673 #1,462
2016 modern 4,655 #1,461

Geography

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Where Cherrys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Silkstone, London parishes, St Pancras, Glasgow and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cherwell, Ribble Valley, South Oxfordshire, Newcastle upon Tyne and Leicester. 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 Silkstone Yorkshire, West Riding
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cherwell 001 Cherwell
2 Ribble Valley 001 Ribble Valley
3 South Oxfordshire 004 South Oxfordshire
4 Newcastle upon Tyne 008 Newcastle upon Tyne
5 Leicester 012 Leicester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cherry

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cherry

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Cherry, 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

Rural Amenity

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Cherry is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Cherry is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Cherry falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Cherry is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

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

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Cherry

The surname Cherry is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "cirse" or "cyrs," which referred to the cherry fruit or the cherry tree. This name likely originated as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near a cherry tree or orchard, or perhaps someone who cultivated cherries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Cherry surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Cyricebyrig" (Cherry's town or village). This entry suggests that the name may have been associated with a specific location or settlement during the 11th century.

The Cherry surname subsequently evolved through various spellings, including Chyrie, Chyreye, and Chyrye, before settling into its modern form. These variations reflect the inconsistencies in spelling and pronunciation common during the medieval period.

During the 13th century, the Cherry surname appeared in various records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire (1279), where it was spelled "Chyrie." This document also mentions a place called "Chyrie's Park," further reinforcing the connection between the surname and geographic locations.

Notable individuals with the Cherry surname throughout history include William Cherry (c. 1515-1597), an English clergyman and writer who served as the Dean of Lincoln Cathedral. Another prominent figure was Francis Cherry (1623-1713), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Stamford.

In the 18th century, John Cherry (1691-1757) was a renowned English botanist and nurseryman who played a significant role in the introduction of new plant species to Britain. His work contributed to the development of horticulture and the cultivation of cherries.

The 19th century saw the birth of Henry Cholmondeley Cherry (1808-1879), a British Army officer who served in the Crimean War and participated in the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Battle of Balaclava in 1854.

Another notable figure was Robert Gregg Cherry (1891-1957), an American politician who served as the 16th Governor of North Carolina from 1945 to 1949, and later as a United States Senator from 1945 to 1951.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cherry families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cherry 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. Middlesex leads with 439 Cherrys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.47x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 439 1.47x
Yorkshire 378 1.28x
Bedfordshire 209 13.50x
Lancashire 196 0.55x
Kent 175 1.72x
Lanarkshire 142 1.47x
Northamptonshire 137 4.87x
Oxfordshire 133 7.20x
Hertfordshire 132 6.41x
Durham 131 1.47x
Surrey 112 0.77x
Buckinghamshire 95 5.26x
Warwickshire 93 1.23x
Leicestershire 81 2.44x
Renfrewshire 70 3.02x
Essex 54 0.91x
Nottinghamshire 50 1.24x
Ayrshire 48 2.15x
Staffordshire 44 0.44x
Cumberland 33 1.28x
Gloucestershire 29 0.49x
Cheshire 26 0.39x
Northumberland 21 0.47x
Huntingdonshire 20 3.37x
West Lothian 19 4.22x
Cambridgeshire 18 0.95x
Lincolnshire 17 0.36x
Derbyshire 15 0.32x
Suffolk 15 0.41x
Sussex 15 0.30x
Stirlingshire 14 1.27x
Westmorland 14 2.13x
Channel Islands 12 1.35x
Hampshire 12 0.20x
Berkshire 11 0.49x
Midlothian 11 0.27x
Worcestershire 8 0.20x
Devon 5 0.08x
Nairnshire 4 4.38x
Shropshire 4 0.15x
East Lothian 3 0.76x
Isle of Man 3 0.54x
Monmouthshire 3 0.14x
Wigtownshire 3 0.76x
Wiltshire 3 0.11x
Herefordshire 2 0.16x
Buteshire 1 0.55x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.08x
Glamorgan 1 0.02x
Norfolk 1 0.02x
Selkirkshire 1 0.37x
Somerset 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Glasgow in Lanarkshire leads with 49 Cherrys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.85x.

Place Total Index
Glasgow 49 2.85x
Hitchin 44 47.30x
Barnsley 43 14.07x
Islington London 43 1.48x
Leicester St Margaret 42 5.20x
St Pancras London 42 1.75x
Barony 38 1.55x
Birmingham 36 1.43x
Luton 35 13.06x
Abbey 34 9.62x
Shoreditch London 34 2.62x
Biggleswade 33 65.09x
Ashendon 31 1244.98x
Camberwell 31 1.62x
Holy Trinity 30 4.21x
Plumstead 28 8.23x
Pirton 27 232.76x
Stoke Newington London 27 11.59x
West Ham 26 2.00x
Caldewgate 25 17.73x
Bethnal Green London 23 1.77x
Govan 22 0.92x
Ayr 21 19.88x
Gateshead 21 3.15x
Ickford 21 551.18x
Richmond 20 43.21x
Shillington 20 87.72x
Aston 19 0.92x
Leeds 19 1.14x
St Luke London 19 3.96x
Lambeth 18 0.69x
Southfleet 18 190.48x
Cropredy 17 304.11x
Deptford St Paul 17 2.16x
Sculcoates 17 3.62x
Habergham Eaves 16 4.93x
Melbecks 16 134.12x
Sheffield 16 1.70x
Stoke Upon Trent 16 1.50x
Bloxham 15 82.87x
Burnley 15 5.02x
Maybole 15 22.02x
Paddington London 15 1.36x
Paisley Middle Church 15 11.12x
Swanscombe 15 32.73x
Bedford St Paul 14 13.19x
Cambuslang 14 14.36x
Greenwich 14 2.94x
Hamilton 14 5.19x
Preston 14 1.47x
Willesden 14 4.97x
Bishops Tachbrook 13 213.11x
Garsington 13 208.33x
Hornsey 13 3.44x
Houghton Conquest 13 204.40x
Longbenton 13 6.90x
Milton In Gravesend 13 8.50x
St Marylebone London 13 0.81x
Cheadle 12 9.52x
Chelsea London 12 1.33x
Eastwood 12 8.41x
Marston St Lawrence 12 301.51x
Northampton Priory St 12 7.11x
St George Hanover Square 12 2.28x
Tring 12 21.81x
Barrow On Humber 11 39.64x
Buckden 11 103.00x
Chetwode 11 691.82x
Elstow 11 192.64x
Greatworth 11 621.47x
Heworth 11 6.28x
Hornsea 11 58.54x
Muker 11 128.35x
Shildon 11 15.39x
Uxbridge 11 32.20x
Westminster St Margaret 11 7.63x
Wilshampstead 11 130.80x
Bourton 10 195.69x
Heptonstall 10 24.06x
Spotland 10 2.54x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 179
Elizabeth 109
Sarah 109
Ann 63
Emma 50
Eliza 49
Annie 39
Ellen 37
Alice 36
Emily 36
Jane 34
Hannah 30
Margaret 30
Martha 26
Charlotte 21
Florence 19
Louisa 18
Caroline 17
Isabella 17
Ada 15
Frances 14
Harriet 14
Clara 13
Kate 13
Rebecca 13
Agnes 12
Edith 12
Susan 12
Catherine 11
Lucy 11
Fanny 10
Gertrude 10
Maria 10
Anne 9
Ruth 9
Amelia 8
Amy 8
Rose 8
Susannah 7
Bertha 6
Harriett 6
Minnie 6
Rachel 6
Sophia 6
Eleanor 5
Esther 5
Lizzie 5
Lydia 5
Julia 4
Nellie 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 175
William 163
George 102
James 93
Thomas 80
Charles 68
Joseph 50
Alfred 44
Henry 41
Arthur 39
Edward 37
Albert 22
Walter 22
Robert 21
Richard 19
Frank 18
Samuel 15
Frederick 14
Harry 13
Edwin 11
Ernest 10
Francis 10
Thos. 10
Luke 9
Herbert 8
Matthew 8
Simon 8
David 7
Fred 7
Tom 7
Wm. 7
Chas. 5
Willm. 5
Benjamin 4
Jesse 4
Jno. 4
Jonathan 4
Morris 4
Tiffin 4
Clarence 3
Edmund 3
Fredk. 3
Geo. 3
Harold 3
Joshua 3
Maurice 3
Oliver 3
Percy 3
Christopher 2
Lewis 2

FAQ

Cherry surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cherry surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,054 people were recorded with the Cherry surname. That placed it at #1,469 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cherry surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,655 in 2016. That gives Cherry a modern rank of #1,461.

What does the Cherry surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to a person who sold cherries or lived near a cherry tree.

What does the Cherry map show?

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