Chafee History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England
• Ireland

Etymology of Chafee

Chafee is a name whose history is entwined with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It was a name for a bald headed man. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the French expression le chauve, which means "the bald one."

Early Origins of the Chafee family

Early History of the Chafee family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chafee research. Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Chafee History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chafee Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Chafee were recorded, including Chafy, Chafe, Chafee, Chafey, Chaff, Chaffe, Chaffee and many more.

Early Notables of the Chafee family

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

Migration of the Chafee family to Ireland

Some of the Chafee family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Chafee family

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Chafee family emigrate to North America: Thomas Chaffee who settled in Hingham Massachusetts in 1637 and moved to Swansea by 1660; Matthew Chaffee settled in Boston in 1630; James Chaffey settled in New England in 1762.