Chaffe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The origins of the Chaffe surname date from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name originated with an early member who was 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 Chaffe family

The surname Chaffe was first found in Dorset 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.

Early History of the Chaffe family

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

Chaffe Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Chaffe has been recorded under many different variations, including Chafy, Chafe, Chafee, Chafey, Chaff, Chaffe, Chaffee and many more.

Early Notables of the Chaffe family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

John and Reginald Chaffey who held the estates in Lancashire

Migration of the Chaffe family to Ireland

Some of the Chaffe 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.

Chaffe migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Chaffe or a variant listed above:

Chaffe Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mary Chaffe, who landed in Maryland in 1668 1

Chaffe Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

L Chaffe, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 1

Chaffe migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Chaffe Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Henry Chaffe, aged 22, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1872

Contemporary Notables of the name Chaffe (post 1700) +

Lewis Kenneth Chaffe, American tobacco company executive, Richmond, Virginia

Citations +

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)