Cavalier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Italy

The surname Cavalier comes from the words "cavallaro," which means a horse dealer; or from "cavalieri," meaning a horseman, rider or knight.

Early Origins of the Cavalier family

The surname Cavalier was first found in at Ferrara, a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara, one of the more prosperous cities at this early time. Records locate the Cavalieri family in Ferrara as early as the 9th century, when Giovanni Cavalieri defended his vast lands against the Venetians.

Early History of the Cavalier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cavalier research. The years 1259, 1344, 1450, 1454, 1500, 1508, 1550, 1590, 1602, 1616, 1620, 1656, 1676, 1684, 1735, 1761 and 1775 are included under the topic Early Cavalier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cavalier Spelling Variations

Italian surnames come in far more variations than the names of most other nationalities. Regional traditions and dialects are a decisive factor in this characteristic. For example, northern names tend to end in "o", while southern in "i". Also important, but not unique to Italy, was the fact that before dictionaries and the printing press most scribes simply spelled words according to their sounds. The predictable result was an enormous number of spelling variations. The recorded spellings of Cavalier include Cavalli, Cavallo, Cavalletti, Cavalletto, Cavallini, Cavallino, Cavallina, Cavallìn, Cavallucci, Cavalluccio, Cavalluzzi, Cavallotti, Cavallotto, Cavallone, Cavallacci, Cavallazzi, Cavallari, Cavallaro, Cavallàr, Cavalleri, Cavallero, Cavaleri, Cavalero, Cavalieri, Cavaliere and many more.

Early Notables of the Cavalier family

Prominent among members of the family was

Emilio del Cavalieri, (c. 1550-1590), a 16th century composer
Francesco Cavalieri, a 17th century mathematician

Cavalier Ranking

In the United States, the name Cavalier is the 12,876^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Cavalier is ranked the 5,446^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2

Cavalier migration to the United States +

A search of the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Cavalier:

Cavalier Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Isaac Cavalier, who landed in Virginia in 1650 3

Cavalier Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Pierre Cavalier, who arrived in Virginia in 1700 3

Cavalier migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cavalier Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Peter Toussaint Cavalier, who landed in Canada in 1832

Contemporary Notables of the name Cavalier (post 1700) +

Michael James Cavalier, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Senate 51st District, 1956 4
Jean Cavalier (1681-1740), British major-general, Lieutenant-Governor of Jersey, born 28 Nov. 1681 at Ribaute, near Anduze
Robert Cavalier de La Salle Sieur (1643-1687), French explorer
Cavalier Léon Bertrand, Professor at the London Fencing Club, London, England

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html