Contents [hide]

Chevalier History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Chevalier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France-Alt
France
Ireland

The Anglo-Saxon name Chevalier comes from when its first bearer worked as a knight. The surname Chevalier is derived from the Old French word chevalier, which means knight, but horseman and rider are more literal translations. This is derived from the Late Latin word caballarius, which is a derivative of the word caballus, which means horse. 1

In medieval times, only men of wealth could afford the upkeep of a riding horse. In most cases, the surname Chevalier was originally an occupational name applied to a knight's servant, rather than to the knight himself, since most members of the knighthood belonged to noble families which bore surnames derived from their estates.

Early Origins of the Chevalier family

The surname Chevalier was first found in Suffolk, where they held a family seat at Aspal from ancient times.

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Jordan le Chevaler, Northamptonshire; and Walter le Chevaler, Wiltshire. 2

Early History of the Chevalier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chevalier research. Another 223 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1221, 1273, 1332, 1500, 1540, 1546, 1643, 1661 and 1805 are included under the topic Early Chevalier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chevalier Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Chevalier include Chevalier, Chivaler, Chevaler, Cheveler, Cheualer and others.

Early Notables of the Chevalier family

Notables of the family at this time include

John Chevalier (fl. 1661), was a "chronicler of Jersey about the period of the civil war, was a vingtenier, or tything man, of the town of St. Heliers. He was somewhat superstitious, and a moderate ro...

Chevalier World Ranking

In the United States, the name Chevalier is the 5,754^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3 However, in Canada, the name Chevalier is ranked the 976^th most popular surname with an estimated 5,541 people with that name. 4 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Chevalier is the 475^th popular surname. 5 France ranks Chevalier as 49^th with 41,021 people. 6

Migration of the Chevalier family to Ireland

Some of the Chevalier 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.

Chevalier migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Chevalier or a variant listed above:

Chevalier Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Philip Chevalier, who landed in Delaware in 1677 7
Etienne Chevalier, son of René and Isabelle Peschevinet, married Anne-Claude Provost, daughter of François and Marguerite Gaillard, on October 28, 1678

Chevalier Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Pierre C Chevalier, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1710 7
Peter Chevalier, who landed in America in 1715-1720 7
Thomas Chevalier, who settled in Boston in 1716
Jeanneau Chevalier, who settled in Boston in 1716
Mr. Chevalier, who landed in Louisiana in 1718 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Chevalier Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Peter Chevalier, who settled in Philadelphia in 1805
Johannes Chevalier, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1806 7
John B. Chevalier, who settled in Philadelphia in 1841
J. Chevalier, who settled in San Francisco in 1850
F Chevalier, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Chevalier migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Chevalier Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Mr. Charles Chevalier, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 4th April 1644 8
Mr. Étienne Chevalier, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 5th April 1644 8
Louis Chevalier, who arrived in Montreal in 1653
René Chevalier, son of René and Marie, who married Jeanne Langlois, daughter of Noel and Françoise, in Quebec on 9th January 1656 9
Michelle Gamier Chevalier, who landed in Montreal in 1659
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Chevalier Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Jean Chevalier, son of Joseph and Marthe, who married Catherine Lavallée, daughter of Jean and Marguerite, in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec on 28th November 1701 9
Paul Chevalier, son of Jacques and Jeanne, who married Agathe-Barbe Campeau, daughter of Etienne and Catherine, in Montreal, Quebec on 1st June 1705 9
Etienne Chevalier, son of Etienne and Marie-Anne, who married Marguerite De Lessard, daughter of Charles and Marie-Anne, in Quebec on 7th November 1707 9
Jean-Baptiste Chevalier, son of Joseph and Marthe, who married Françoise Alavoine, daughter of Charles and Marie-Thérèse, in Montreal, Quebec on 8th April 1709 9
Jean Chevalier married Anne Guyon, daughter of François and Marie-Marguerite, in Quebec on 14th July 1710 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Chevalier migration to Australia +

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

Chevalier Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Chevalier, aged 23, a plumber, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Navarino" 10

Chevalier migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Chevalier Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

H. Chevalier, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Tongariro" in 1888

Contemporary Notables of the name Chevalier (post 1700) +

Maurice Auguste Chevalier (1888-1972), French film/vaudeville actor, cabaret singer and entertainer, best known for his signature songs, including "Livin' In The Sunlight", "Valentine", "Louise", "Mimi", and "Thank Heaven for Little Girls"
Lieutenant Commander Godfrey de Courcelles Chevalier USN (1889-1922), American pioneering naval aviator, awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, eponym of two U.S. Navy destroyers named USS Chevalier
Robert Chevalier, American cardiologist
Thomas Chevalier (1767-1824), English surgeon, born in London on 3 Nov. 1767 11
Albert Chevalier (1861-1923), English comedian
Marie-Claire Chevalier (1955-2022), French abortion rights activist who was defendant in the Bobigny trial, the victory in this trial was key for the legalization of abortion in France and the Veil Act
Jeanne Chevalier, Canadian figure skater who competed in both single skating and pair skating
Marcel Chevalier (1921-2008), the last Chief Executioner of the French Republic (1976-1981)
Jean Chevalier (1906-1993), French writer, philosopher, and theologian
Douglas Chevalier, American news photographer for the Washington Post, Washington, DC
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Chevalier Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fidei coticula crux
Motto Translation: The cross is the test of truth.

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Debien, Gabriel. Liste Des Engagés Pour Le Canada Au XVIIe Siècle. Vol. 6, Laval University, 1952. (Retreived 24th May 2018). Retrieved from https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/130-liste-des-contrats-dengagement-pour-la-nouvelle-france-releves-a-la-rochelle-entre-1634-et-1679/
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.
South Australian Register Monday 14th August 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Navarino 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/navarino1854.shtml
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 25 Nov. 2019