Yes it is pretty certain that your ancestor came from Cheetham in Lancashire. The Normans really introduced surnames as before them people were known as their father's son ie Jack Will's son (Jack Wilson) or by a nickname - Jack Short or whatever.
Place names became adopted as surnames when somone moved to another area for work. So Jack became Jack of Cheetham when he went elsewhere. This differentiated him from all of the other Jacks.
Cheetham was Chetam in 1212 and Chetham in 1226. The meaning is the same as for Chatham. The first element is from the Old British language (or Celtic if you prefer that term) "ceto" from "kaito" meaning a forest or wood. So Cheetham means the village by the forest or wood. Nearby is Cheetwood which shows that the original meaning of "Cheet" had been forgotten. Cheetwood literally means "wood - wood"
Try entering your surname on Google - you will find out a lot more. Good luck with your research.
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