Today's generation of the Castelan family bears a name that was brought to
England by the migration wave that was started by the
Norman Conquest of 1066. The Castelan family lived in
Yorkshire. The family was originally from
Chastelai, Normandy, and the name Castelan is derived from this place-name.
Early Origins of the Castelan family
The surname Castelan was first found in
Yorkshire where they held a
family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of
Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.
Early History of the Castelan family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Castelan research.
Another 186 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1532, 1550, and 1700 are included under the topic Early Castelan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Castelan Spelling Variations
Before the last few
hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason,
spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Castelan were recorded, including Casserly, Casserley, Casserlay, Castlelaw, Casserlaw, Casterline, Chastelyn, Casteldein and many more.
Early Notables of the Castelan family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Castelan Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Castelan family to the New World and Oceana
The unstable environment in
England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like
Ireland,
Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Castelan arrived in North America very early:
Castelan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Pedro Castelan, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1860 [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
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)
Contemporary Notables of the name Castelan (post 1700)
- Julius Castelan, American Democrat politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1948 [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Castelan 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: Malo mori quam fodari
Motto Translation: I would rather die than be disgraced.