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Show ContentsChapel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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Chapel is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Chapel family once lived near the chapel, The surname Chapel is a topographic surname, which is a type of surname that was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. In this case the Chapel family were dwellers by the churchyard. 1 2 3

Early Origins of the Chapel family

The surname Chapel was first found in various counties and shires throughout Britain. The earliest record of the family appears to be John Chapel who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1202. 4 Later the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Hugh de la Chapele in Nottinghamshire. 1

During the reign of Edward I., Thomas de la Chapele was listed in Northumberland and John atte Chapele was listed in Somerset. 5 William a la Chapele was listed in the Feet of Fines Rolls about the same time. Richard de la Chapele was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. 4 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Johannes del Chapell. 1

Further to the north in Scotland, the name has the same origin, but early records there show the name as more of an occupational name from "the office of usher of the king's chapel, that is, Chancery, was hereditary in a family called from the office de Capella, and was attached to a third part of the lands of Craigmillar. In 1328 there is entry of wages of the boys of William de Capella. John de Capella possessed Craigmillar after the Craigmillars, and in 1374 the lands were purchased from them again by Sir Simon Preston. Little is known of this John de Capella. " 6

Early History of the Chapel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chapel research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1374, 1569, 1579, 1582, 1588, 1649, 1677, 1728, 1729, 1737, 1745, 1746, 1775, 1795, 1812, 1826, 1830, 1834, 1838, 1840 and 1855 are included under the topic Early Chapel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chapel Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Chapel family name include Chapel, Chappell, Chappel, Chappelle, Chapele, Chapell, Chapple and many more.

Early Notables of the Chapel family

Distinguished members of the family include William Chappell (1582-1649), English divine, Bishop of Cork, the son of Robert Chappell, and born at Laxton, Nottinghamshire, on 10 Dec. 1582. 7William Chapple (1677-1745), English judge, was one of the Chapples of Waybay House, Dorsetshire. "About 1728 he was appointed a judge on the North Wales circuit, and in 1729...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Chapel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chapel Ranking

In the United States, the name Chapel is the 14,672nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 8 However, in France, the name Chapel is ranked the 2,405th most popular surname with an estimated 2,500 - 3,000 people with that name. 9

Ireland Migration of the Chapel family to Ireland

Some of the Chapel family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Chapel migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Chapel surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Chapel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Alice Chapel, who settled in New England in 1766
Chapel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Robert Chapel, who settled in San Francisco in 1850
  • Henry Chapel, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1870 10

Australia Chapel migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Chapel Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Christopher Chapel who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 3rd October 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
  • Miss Elizabeth Jane Chapel, (b. 1834), aged 15, Cornish housemaid travelling aboard the ship "8 General Palmer" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 10th April 1849 12
  • Mr. Jonathan Chapel, (b. 1821), aged 28, Cornish farm labourer from travelling aboard the ship "Sir George Seymour" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 14th May 1849 12
  • Mrs. Phillis Chapel, (b. 1822), aged 27, Cornish settler from travelling aboard the ship "Sir George Seymour" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 14th May 1849 12
  • Mr. Joseph Chapel, (b. 1845), aged 4, Cornish settler from travelling aboard the ship "Sir George Seymour" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 14th May 1849 12
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Chapel (post 1700) +

  • Stephen W Chapel, American economist, Operations Research Analyst, Office of Asst. Secretary of Defense, The Pentagon, Washington, DC
  • Comstock Chapel, American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Waterford, 1820-21 13
  • Charles W. Chapel, American politician, Delegate to Michigan State Constitutional Convention, 1850; Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Chippewa District, 1855-56 13
  • Charles Edward Chapel (1904-1967), American Republican politician, Member of California State Assembly, 1950-66; Presidential Elector for California, 1956; Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 1964 13
  • Caleb M. Chapel, American politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Jackson County 3rd District, 1853-54 13
  • Charles Edward Chapel (1904-1967), English politician and technical writer, best known for his articles and books about firearms
  • Alain Chapel, French chef, Saint-André-de-Corcy
  • Paul Chapel, French professor and former deputy, Vannes
  • Tell-Aristide-Frédéric-Antoine Chapel (1849-1932), French general
  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  6. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  7. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  8. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  9. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  10. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
  12. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, May 30). Ships' Passenger Lists of Arrivals in New South Wales on (1828 - 1842, 1848 - 1849) [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1838_on.pdf
  13. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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