Chesnut
A surname for someone who lived near a notable chestnut tree or grove.
The #9,652 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 91,834 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This name is generally understood as a topographic surname from the chestnut tree. It likely began as a label for someone living near a conspicuous chestnut tree, chestnut wood, or a place marked by such a tree. Historical spellings also show the more common form Chestnut, with Chesnut a reduced variant spelling.
History
Lower explicitly treats Chesnut as a local name derived from residence near a noteworthy tree. Later writers group it with other tree-based surnames, and the spelling without the internal -t- became established in some branches of the name. In the United States, Chesnut is a relatively uncommon spelling compared with Chestnut.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Tree-based surnames were often formed from a striking landmark rather than from an occupation or family trade.
From the historical record
“the oak tree. CHESNUT. The tree— from residence near a remarkable one. CHE SS ALL. Perhaps from Chesil Bank, CO. Dorset. CHESSMAN. See Cheesraan. CHESTER. The palatine city; also places in Durham, Northumb., and Derby. It was probably from Little Chester, in the last-named co., that the Chesters of Cocken-”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom