Show ContentsChamber History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The origins the old family name Chamber can be found within medieval France. While the patronymic and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the name of the father and mother respectively, are the most common form of a hereditary surname in France, occupational surnames also emerged during the late Middle Ages. Many people, such as the Chamber family, adopted the name of their occupation as their surname. However, an occupational name did not become a hereditary surname until the office or type of employment became hereditary. The surname Chamber was an occupational name for a room attendant. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old French word "chambre," which means room.

Early Origins of the Chamber family

The surname Chamber was first found in Savoy (French: Savoie) in the Rhône-Alpes region of the French Alps, where this distinguished family has held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Chamber family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chamber research. Another 160 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1456 and 1568 are included under the topic Early Chamber History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chamber Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Chambre, la Chambre, Chambres, la Chambres, des Chambres, Chaumbre, Chaumbres, de la Chambre, de la Chambres, de la Chaumbre, de la Chaumbres, Chambray, Chaumbray, Chambrae, Chambraes, Chaumbrae, Chaumbraes and many more.

Early Notables of the Chamber family

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

Chamber Ranking

In the United States, the name Chamber is the 14,956th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Chamber migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Chamber Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Robert Chamber, who landed in Virginia in 1639 2
  • Thomas Chamber, who landed in New York in 1646 2
  • Margery Chamber, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 2
Chamber Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Andrew Chamber, who arrived in West Indies in 1801 2
  • John Chamber, aged 20, who landed in Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 1803 2
  • Letitia Chamber, who landed in New York, NY in 1817 2
  • Jonathan chamber, who arrived in New Orleans La in 1850 2
  • T Chamber, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Chamber (post 1700) +

  • Chuck Chamber, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from West Virginia, 1996 3


The Chamber Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Altissimus nos fundavit
Motto Translation: Highest we founded


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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