Chapeau History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The Old French word "Chaput" was a type of chopping block that was used to work slate and create different shapes. The name Chaput was originally given to carpenters. 1

Early Origins of the Chapeau family

The surname Chapeau was first found in Forez, a former province of France, now part of the modern Loire, the Haute-Loire and Puy-de-Dôme departments, where they have held a family seat since the 1100's.

By the beginning of the 12th century the family was well established in the region of Forez and several members of this important family made a distinctive contribution to the community in which they lived and were rewarded with lands, titles, and letters patent confirming their nobility.

Claude Chapuis is recorded as the Lord of Condrieu and in 1109, as reward for his great contribution both culturally and religiously, he received the permission to construct the chapel of Saint Martin in honour of the family.

Early History of the Chapeau family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chapeau research. Another 250 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1389, 1536, 1630, 1641, 1667, 1696 and 1710 are included under the topic Early Chapeau History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chapeau Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous spelling alterations depending on the region and time it was used. The early development of the French language relied heavily on borrowing elements and grammar from other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Chapeau is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Chaput, Chapue, Chapud, Chapus, Chapout, Chapoue, Chapoud, Chapous, Chapput, Chappue, Chappud, Chappus, Chappout, Chappoue, Chappoud, Chappous, Shaput, Shapue, Shapus, Shapout, Shapoue, Shapoud, Shappous, Shapput, Shappue, Shappud, Shappus, Shappout, Shappoue, Shappoud, Shappous, Chapuis, Chapus and many more.

Early Notables of the Chapeau family

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

Chapeau Ranking

In France, the name Chapeau is the 2,915^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 2

Chapeau migration to the United States +

France was active as a cultural leader in the early 16th century. One particular area in which they lead was the exploration of the New World. The explorers, like Jacques Cartier in 1534, led the way to North America. Champlain, in 1608, made the first of twenty voyages to France to attract settlers and brought the first migrant in 1617. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec, and the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Chapeau has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Chapeau were

Chapeau Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J B Chapeau, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1820 3
Marie Pauline Chapeau, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1820 3
John B Chapeau, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1823 3

Citations +

Dionne, N.-E., Origine Des Familles Canadiennes-Français. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969. Print.
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)