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Origins Available: |
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The name Chaffer is Anglo-Saxon in origin. It was a name given to a traveling merchant. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old English word ceapfaru, which appears in the Old English as chaffere and chaffar, a person engaged in traffic or trade of merchandise.
The surname Chaffer was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chaffer research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1743 is included under the topic Early Chaffer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Chaffer include Chaffers, Chaffer and others.
Distinguished members of the family include
Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Chaffer were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: