Cheeks
A nickname surname for someone with noticeable cheeks or a rosy, round face.
The #7,964 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 74,307 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Cheeks is most likely a descriptive surname formed from the English word cheek, referring to the side of the face. In medieval and early modern surname-making, such a word could be used as a nickname for someone with prominent, broad, rosy, or otherwise memorable cheeks. The plural form appears to have been used as a family name alongside related forms such as Cheek and Cheeke.
History
The surname appears in English records in several spellings, and nineteenth-century surname writers grouped it with other face- or head-based nicknames like Chin and Jowles. It is especially familiar in English-speaking countries, including the United States, where the pluralized form Cheeks survived as a distinct surname. Like many nickname surnames, it likely began as a casual personal description before becoming hereditary.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early surname writers even listed Cheeks alongside other body-part surnames such as Chin, Nose, and Shank.
From the historical record
“Councillor. Cheeks. Clash. Comb.”
— Ludus Patronymicus; or, the etymology of curious surnames