Cushing
An English surname most likely from a place-name or a related older nickname form, later carried to New England by early settlers.
The #5,373 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 47,646 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is probably English in origin, though older writers gave different explanations. One historical source connects it with an old form written roughly like "Cusshyn" and treats it as a surname from Norfolk, but the exact underlying place-name is not fully clear. The broader pattern suggests an English locational or habitational surname, possibly from a lost or altered place-name, rather than a straightforward occupation name.
History
The surname is well attested in eastern England by the late Middle Ages. A noted early New England bearer was Matthew Cushing, who settled in Hingham, Massachusetts, in the 1600s, and the name later became established in colonial America. In modern English-speaking countries it is best known as a surname rather than a given name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century source specifically traces the name of William Cusshyn of Hingham, Norfolk, showing the surname in records as early as the 1400s.
From the historical record
“i. e.. The Gardens. CUSHING (N. €•)» Cb"''* /«^^-^ The will of William Cus- SHYN, of Hingham, co. Norfolk, gent., was proved A.D. 1493. He was ancestor of Dea. Matthew Cdshing, who came to New England in 1638, and settled in Hingham, Mass. CUSHMAN (QE-)) Cow's or Cheese man. Cyse, cheese. Cheese and Cheeseman are…”
— Surnames