River Chew of its distance, forming part of the Monarch's Way. The name "Chew" has Celtic origins, cognate with the River Chwefru, "cliwyf-ffrenwy", "the moving, gushing water"; ancient forms are "Estoca" (Chew Stoke), "Chiu" (Chew Magna), and "Ciwetune" (Chewton Mendip). Its exact meaning admits of several possible explanations, including "winding water", the "ew" being a variant of the French "eau", "water". The word "chewer" is western dialect for "narrow passage" and "chare" is Old English for "turning." Another theory is that the name derives from the Welsh "cyw", "the young of an animal, or chicken", such that "Afon Cyw" would have meant
Chew Stoke according to the census of 1801, was 517. This number increased slowly during the 19th century to a maximum of 819 but fell to around 600 by the end of the century. The population remained fairly stable until World War II. During the latter half of the 20th century, the population of the village rose to 905 people. Data for 1801–1971 is available at Britain Through Time; data for 1971–2001 is available from BANES The 2001 Census gives detailed information about the Chew Valley North ward, which includes both Chew Magna and Chew Stoke. The ward had 2,307 residents, living