The first known use of Chaigneau as a surname occurred in the Forez region of France. Chaigneau was originally a name for a person who lived in Forez.
The surname Chaigneau was first found in Forez, a former province of France, now part of the modern Loire, the Haute-Loire, and Puy-de-Dôme départements, where the family was established in early times.
The family formed many branches, some in other regions. The Chagnon branch gave its name to Chagnon, a village in the department of Loire, in the district of Saint-Étienne. The branch Chaigneau was established in a village in the department of Eure, in the district of Evreux. The branch Chaigne was established in Bordeaux. Several members of this illustrious family distinguished themselves in various parts of France. [1]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chaigneau research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1436, 1451, 1471, 1746, 1817, 1769, 1832, 1910, 1887, 1887, 1915, 1767, 1795, 1791, 1883, 1800, 1874, 1874, 1819, 1901, 1830 and 1906 are included under the topic Early Chaigneau History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
French surnames were subject to numerous spelling alterations depending on the region and time it was used. The early development of the French language relied heavily on borrowing elements and grammar from other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Chaigneau is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Chagne, Chaigne, Chagnon, Chaignon, Chagnard, Chaignard, Chagnart, Chaignart, Chagnaud, Chaignaud, Chagneau, Chaigneau, Chagneaux, Chaigneaux, Chagnot, Chaignot, Chagnaut, Chaignaut, Chagnaux, Chaignaux, Chagnoux, Chaignoux, Chagnol, Chaignol, Chagnet and many more.
Quelques membres notables appartenaient à cette famille. Parmi eux, on trouve Jean-Louis Chaigneau, a politician, who was born in Vouvant (Vendée) in 1767; his son, Émile-Armand Chaigneau, a politician, who was born in...
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Chaigneau Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In France, the name Chaigneau is the 2,351st most popular surname with an estimated 2,500 - 3,000 people with that name. [2]
Migration from France to New France or Quebec as it was now more popularly called, continued from France until it fell in 1759. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In the treaty of Utrecht, the Acadians were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. In 1793, the remaining French in these provinces came under British rule. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Chaigneau were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Chaigneau were
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: