Given name & surname
Cheney
“one who promotes peace”·“an oak-hearted woman”·“an oak-hearted man”
In English use, Cheney is a variant of Chesney. One English interpretation is “one who promotes peace.” Cheney is a variant of Cheyne. Interpretations include “an oak-hearted woman” (French) and “an oak-hearted man” (French). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Cheney is a variant of Chesney. One English interpretation is “one who promotes peace.” Cheney is a variant of Cheyne. Interpretations include “an oak-hearted woman” (French) and “an oak-hearted man” (French). These may reflect different naming traditions. Cheney is a variant of Chaney. One French interpretation is “from the oak tree.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Cheney is a variant of Chesney. An origin associated with Chesney is English. Cheney is a variant of Cheyne. An origin associated with Cheyne is French.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1970. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Cheney through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 333
- 124 boys · 209 girls
- Most popular year
- 2001
- 31 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2019. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 12 in 1991. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 491 as a first name in 2020; 13,085 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Cheney’s family of names
Cheney has a related form in Chaney. Cheney has a related form in Cheyne. In English usage, Cheney has a related form in Chesney.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Similar names
If you love Cheney, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Sayre is a surname.
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