About the Chisam Surname

Some records give Chisholm; others give Chisam. Both point to the same Scottish family name. Taken at its root, Chisam points to “Cheese-farm meadow”.

• Spellings drifted because names were written down by ear in parish books, tax rolls and passenger lists.
• Before spelling was fixed, Chisholm was also written Chisam.
• Chisam ranked 51,396 in the 2010 US Census, with 405 people answering to the name. That puts it among the top 100,000 US surnames.
• Other spellings include Chisolm and Chisholme.

Family crest and blazon

Heraldry is personal: arms associated with the Chisholm surname were borne by specific families, and sharing the name does not mean sharing the blazon. Get the complete Chisam report, with a museum-style coat of arms.