Change History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Change

What does the name Change mean?

Change is an Anglo-Saxon name. The name was originally given to a person who exchanged currency or lent money. This name was originally derived from the Old French word chaungeor, which referred to a person who changed money.

Early Origins of the Change family

The surname Change was first found in Hampshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Change family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Change research. Another 180 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1275, 1384 and 1500 are included under the topic Early Change History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Change Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Change has appeared include Changer, Changur, Chaunge, Chaungeour, Chaynger and many more.

Early Notables of the Change family

More information is included under the topic Early Change Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Change migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Change arrived in North America very early:

Change Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ann Change, who arrived in Virginia in 1677 1

Sources +

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)