Genealogy in Cher (18): Trace your family history

Genealogy cheat sheet - We provide all useful and free genealogy resources for your research in Cher

Genealogy in Cher (18): Trace your family history

©️Wikimedia - Claude Villetaneuse

Updated: February 23, 2026


Located in the heart of France, the department of Cher is part of the Centre-Val de Loire region. Its prefecture is the historic city of Bourges. It is bordered by the departments of Loir-et-Cher, of the Indre, of the Creuse, of the Allier, of the Nièvre and of the Loiret.


Created during the French Revolution in 1790, the department is mostly based on the former province of Berry, but also includes parts of Bourbonnais (to the south) and Nivernais (to the east).


A land of contrasts, between the cereal plains of Champagne Berrichonne, the reliefs of Sancerrois, and the forests of Sologne, Cher has a strong rural identity, but was also a major industrial and political center, notably under the reign of Charles VII, the 'little king of Bourges'.


📋 Archives of Cher

Departmental Archives of Cher

Visit the Departmental Archives of Cher:

📍 Rue Jean Marie Heurtault de Lamerville, 18000 Bourges


Contact the Departmental Archives of Cher:

📞 02 48 55 82 60

📧 Send an email


Browse the digitized archives to search for your ancestors:


Municipal archives in Cher


Online records

Unusual records


🏠 Migrations in Cher


For genealogists, understanding why an ancestor left Berry or settled there is crucial. The migratory history of Cher is closely linked to its agricultural exploitation and industrial development (metallurgy and porcelain).


  • Under the Ancien Régime: in the 17th and 18th centuries, Cher was a transit land on royal roads, but also a land of departure for sawyers and masons.

    Many migrants from Manche and Limousin crossed Cher to head to Paris or stopped at the major construction sites of Bourges - like the masons from Creuse.

    Activity on the Loire (Sancerre, Saint-Satur) and later on the Canal de Berry generated a mobile population of river workers from neighboring departments.

  • The 19th Century: this is the period when Cher experienced its greatest demographic transformations. The development of forges and metallurgy (notably in Vierzon and Torteron) attracted specialized workers from all over France.

    In the mid-19th century, entrepreneurs and workers from Limoges and Haute-Vienne settled in Mehun-sur-Yèvre and Foëcy to found porcelain factories.

    Conversely, from the 1880s, the phylloxera crisis in Sancerrois and agricultural mechanization pushed young Berrichons to Paris ("moving to Paris" phenomenon).

  • The 20th Century: the department became a strategic point and a refuge during major conflicts.

    During World War I, Vierzon and Bourges became major armament production centers. Colonial workers (Indochinese, North Africans) and Belgian refugees arrived.

    During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), Cher hosted many Republican Spanish refugees fleeing Francoism. Several thousand people are estimated to have transited through the department's concentration/accommodation camps (like Vierzon's).

    Finally, during the Thirty Glorious Years, to meet the needs of aeronautical (Avions Marcel Dassault) and mechanical factories, the department saw the arrival of immigration from Portugal, Italy, and the Maghreb, mainly in the agglomerations of Bourges and Vierzon.


For more information:



The Cher in images


Videos


Images and old postcards


Old maps of the department

  • From Cassini villages to today's municipalities: the department of the Cher
  • On Old Maps Online: the old maps of the department
  • On Gallica: the old maps of the Cher


📜 The history of Cher



On Gallica: the books, the press and the manuscripts to learn everything about the Cher department


🏠 The 50 most common surnames in Cher


Top 10 surnames in Cher:

  • PETIT
  • MILLET
  • MARTIN
  • JACQUET
  • MOREAU
  • DUBOIS
  • BAILLY
  • ROGER
  • BRUNET
  • GIRARD


The other 40 most popular surnames in the department (according to the INSEE File) : 

  • THOMAS
  • LEGER
  • CHEVALIER
  • GIRAULT
  • BERNARD
  • DURAND
  • ROUSSEAU
  • ROUX
  • MARTINAT
  • PERROT
  • BEDU
  • CHERRIER
  • MEUNIER
  • MORIN
  • MERCIER
  • RICHARD
  • ROBIN
  • BONNET
  • JOLIVET
  • ANDRE
  • LAURENT
  • CHOLLET
  • RENAUD
  • MALLET
  • TURPIN
  • CLAVIER
  • FOURNIER
  • SALMON
  • BONNIN
  • LECLERC
  • PASDELOUP
  • CHAUVEAU
  • GODON
  • GITTON
  • FONTAINE
  • GIRAUD
  • CHAGNON
  • VINCENT
  • GUILLOT
  • JAMET


🗺️ Genealogy sites in Cher


Genealogy circles and associations in Cher


Genealogy blogs in Cher


Useful social networks


Happy researching! 


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