Chick
A surname with several possible roots, most likely from a nickname meaning “the chick” or from a place-name such as Chich.
The #7,377 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 68,352 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name Chick is usually explained in more than one way. Some sources treat it as a nickname, from Middle English 'chick' meaning a young bird, while others connect it with a place-name such as Chich or a similar local name in Essex. A further possibility is an old personal name or short-form nickname behind the spelling, so the origin is not entirely settled.
History
The surname is recorded in medieval England, with early spellings such as Chike and Chilce. Later surname dictionaries continued to note both nickname and locational explanations, which suggests the name developed in more than one place or was later simplified in spelling. In modern usage it remains relatively uncommon in the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some 19th-century surname writers glossed Chick simply as “the chick,” showing how often animal nicknames fed into English family names.
From the historical record
“Cirencester, co. Gloucester. CHICK. See Chich. CHI CHIDELL. Cheadle, towns in cos. Chester and Stafford. CHIDLOW. A township In Cheshire. CHIFFINCH. A provincial pronuncia- tion of Chaffinch.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom