The name Chaffint has a history dating as far back as the
Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It was a name for a bald man. The surname Chaffint is a diminutive derived from the Old French words
chauf and
cauf, which both mean
bald. This is ultimately derived from the Latin word
calvus, which has the same meaning. The words
chauf and
cauf are supplemented by the suffixes
in or
on, which have several variations and are two of the most common diminutive suffixes.
Early Origins of the Chaffint family
The surname Chaffint was first found in
Dorset where branches of the family were found in Chettle and Folke. Chettle dates back to at least the
Domesday Book where it was listed as Ceotel and probably was derived from the Old English word ceotel, meaning "deep valley." Folke dates back to 1244 where it was derived from the Old English word folc, which meant people, as in "land held by the people."
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Early History of the Chaffint family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chaffint research.
Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1627, 1628 and 1714 are included under the topic Early Chaffint History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Chaffint Spelling Variations
Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few
hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Chaffint have been found, including Chaffin, Chaffinch, Caffin and others.
Early Notables of the Chaffint family (pre 1700)
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Chaffint Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Chaffint family to the New World and Oceana
Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in
England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in
England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Chaffint, or a variant listed above: John Chaffinch who settled in Connecticut in 1630; Daniel Chaffin arrived in Barbados in 1680 with his wife and servants; Fortune Chaffin arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1827..