Cheney (surname)

Cheney, originally de Cheney, is a toponymic surname of Old French origin, introduced into England by the Normans.

The derivation is from the Old French chesne (modern French: chêne) "oak tree" with the Old French suffix -ei / -ai meaning "collection of [trees]", so chenei "oak grove", from Medieval Latin casnetum. The surname may be either locational or topographical in origin. As a locational name, Cheney may derive from any of the places named with the Old French chesnei, nowadays Chesney, Chesnay, le Chesnay, la Chesnaye, etc. As a topographical name, Cheney denoted residence near a conspicuous oak tree, or in an oak forest. 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:

• Alfred Cheney Johnston (1885–1971), American photographer known for his portraits of Ziegfeld Follies showgirls
• Amherst B. Cheney (1841–1927), American politician from Michigan
• Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (1867–1944), first American female composer of large-scale art music
• Arthur Cheney Train (1875–1945), American lawyer and writer of legal thrillers
• Ben Cheney (1905–1971), lumber businessman
• Benjamin Pierce Cheney (1815–1895), American businessman
• Brainard Cheney (1900–1990), Georgia novelist, playwright and essayist
• C. R. Cheney (1906–1987), medieval historian
• 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 (1859–1913), Wisconsin State Assembly member
• Dick Cheney (born 1941), 46th Vice President of the United States and former United States Representative
• Dorothy Cheney (1916–2014), tennis player
• Dorothy Cheney (scientist) (1950–2018), American scientist who studied the wild primates in their natural habitat
• Edith C. Cheney (1888–1953), New York assemblywoman 1940–1944
• Ednah Dow Littlehale Cheney (1824–1904), Boston writer, reformer and philanthropist
• Captain Edward Cheney (1788-1846) led the Royal Scots Greys as temporary Brevet Colonel at the Battle of Waterloo
• Edwin Cheney (1869–1942), commissioned the Frank Lloyd Wright Cheney House
• Elizabeth Cheney (gentry) (1422–1473), English aristocrat
• Ellen Cheney Johnson (1829–1899), American prison reformer
• Elliott Ward Cheney Jr. (1929–2016), University of Texas mathematician and professor
• Emily Cheney Neville (1919–1997), author and Newbury Medal winner
• Eric Cheney (1924–2001), English motorcycle racer, designer and independent constructor
• Flora Cheney (1872–1929), Illinois state Representative
• 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
• Harry Morrison Cheney (1860–1937), Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
• Harriet Vaughan Cheney (1796–1889), American-Canadian novelist
• Herbert Cheney (1873–1931), American college football coach and educator
• Horace B. Cheney (1868–1938), American administrator
• 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 (footballer) (born 1989), Australian rules football player
• Kyle Cheney (journalist), journalist for Politico
• Larry Cheney (1886–1969), American baseball player
• Lauren Cheney (born 1987), American soccer player
• Liz Cheney (born 1966), United States Representative, daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney
• Louis R. Cheney (1859–1944), Connecticut businessman and politician
• Lynne Cheney (born 1941), wife of United States Vice President Dick Cheney
• Margaret Cheney (born 1955), American mathematician
• Martha Cheney (born 1953), American author
• Mary Cheney (born 1969), daughter of United States Vice President Dick Cheney
• 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 Burbank Cheney (1816–1903), abolitionist, founder of Bates College and Maine state Representative
• Person Colby Cheney (1828–1901), United States Senator, Governor of New Hampshire
• Peter Cheney, Canadian newspaper writer
• Ray Cheney, rugby union player and sportsman from Wales
• Richard Cheyney (1513–1579), bishop of Gloucester from 1562, oppositor of the Calvinism
• Richard Cheney (New Mexico politician), state representative (2003–2007)
• 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
• Sherwood Cheney (1873–1949), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers brigadier general
• Stephen A. Cheney, U. S. Marine Corps brigadier general
• Syl Cheney-Coker (born 1945), poet, novelist and journalist from Sierra Leone
• Thomas Cheney (c. 1485 – 1558), Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
• Thomas C. Cheney (1868–1957), Vermont politician
• Tom Cheney (disambiguation), several people
• Ward Cheney (1813–1876), American pioneer manufacturer of silk fabrics
• Yarrow Cheney, American production designer, visual effects artist, director and animator