Chauncey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Chauncey is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Chauncey family lived in Cauncy, near Amiens, in northern France. The Sieur de Cauncy came from here. "His descendant Sir Henry Chauncy gained distinction as the historian of Hertfordshire. Many of the name and family are settled in that county." 1
"It is quite possible that Chance may have been a personal name, like Bonaventure, which it exactly represented; chance in Middle English generally meaning a happy accident, a good mishap. " 2
Early Origins of the Chauncey family
The surname Chauncey was first found in Essex where Robert and Ralph Chance were listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1209 and later in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1310. Simon de Chanci was listed in the Assize Rolls for Lincolnshire in 1218 and later, Roger de Chauncy was found in the Pipe Rolls for Yorkshire in 1230. Also in Yorkshire, we found John Chancy listed there 1293-1294. Later, Roger Chansi was listed in Gloucestershire in 1361. 3
Early History of the Chauncey family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chauncey research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1581, 1592, 1632, 1654, 1672, 1691, 1712 and 1719 are included under the topic Early Chauncey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Chauncey Spelling Variations
It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Chauncey are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Chauncey include Chance, Chancey, Chaunceur, Channsy, Channsey, Chauncey, Chancy and many more.
Early Notables of the Chauncey family
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was
- Ichabod Chauncey (d. 1691), was an English physician and divine, the date and place of whose birth are unknown and was chaplain to Sir Edward Harley's regiment at Dunkirk at the time the Uniformity Ac...
Chauncey migration to the United States +
Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Chauncey, or a variant listed above:
Chauncey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- E. Chauncey, who settled in San Francisco in 1850
- C Chauncey, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 4
- E W Chauncey, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 4
- I Chauncey, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
- J M Chauncey, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
Chauncey migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Chauncey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Samuel Chauncey, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Dumfries" in 1839 5
- Mr. & Mrs. W S Chauncey, who arrived in Port Adelaide aboard the ship "Apolline" in 1840 6
- William Snell Chauncey, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Apolline" in 1840 6
Contemporary Notables of the name Chauncey (post 1700) +
- Isaac Chauncey (1779-1840), American officer in the United States Navy, eponym of three destroyers: USS Chauncey (DD-3); USS Chauncey (DD-296) and the USS Chauncey (DD-667)
- George Chauncey, American businessman, former owner of the Brooklyn Grooms
- George Chauncey (b. 1954), American professor of history at Yale University
- Daniel Smith "Danny" Chauncey (b. 1956), American rock guitarist, best known for his work with the Southern rock band 38 Special since 1987
- Major-General Charles Carl Chauncey (1889-1991), American Commanding General of the Technical Training Air Force, Gulfport, Mississippi (1951) 7
- David M. Chauncey, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Kings County 4th District, 1858 8
- David M. Chauncey, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 6th District, 1852-53 8
- Robert Chauncey Seaver (1877-1944), American amateur tennis player
- Sarah Chauncey Woolsey (1835-1905), American children's author who wrote under the pen name Susan Coolidge, aunt of Gamel Woolsey
- George Chauncey Sparks (1884-1968), American Democratic Party politician, State court judge in Alabama, 1911-15;Governor of Alabama, 1943-47; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alabama, 1944 (speaker), 1948 9
Citations +
- Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, 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)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- 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)
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) DUMFRIES 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Dumfries.gif
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) APOLLINE 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Apolline.gif
- Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, November 3) Charles Chauncey. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Chauncey/Charles_Carl/USA.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) George Sparks. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
