Chancy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Etymology of Chancy

What does the name Chancy mean?

The name Chancy was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Chancy family lived in Cauncy, near Amiens, in northern France. The Sieur de Cauncy came from here. "His descendant Sir Henry Chauncy gained distinction as the historian of Hertfordshire. Many of the name and family are settled in that county." 1

"It is quite possible that Chance may have been a personal name, like Bonaventure, which it exactly represented; chance in Middle English generally meaning a happy accident, a good mishap. " 2

Early Origins of the Chancy family

The surname Chancy was first found in Essex where Robert and Ralph Chance were listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1209 and later in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1310. Simon de Chanci was listed in the Assize Rolls for Lincolnshire in 1218 and later, Roger de Chauncy was found in the Pipe Rolls for Yorkshire in 1230. Also in Yorkshire, we found John Chancy listed there 1293-1294. Later, Roger Chansi was listed in Gloucestershire in 1361. 3

Early History of the Chancy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chancy research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1581, 1592, 1632, 1654, 1672, 1691, 1712 and 1719 are included under the topic Early Chancy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chancy Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Chance, Chancey, Chaunceur, Channsy, Channsey, Chauncey, Chancy and many more.

Early Notables of the Chancy family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Maurice Chauncy (d. 1581), Carthusian monk, whose surname is found under the forms of Chamney, Chawney, Chancy, Channy, Chenye, Chasee, and Chawsey, was the eldest son of John Chauncy, esq., of Ardele...

Chancy Ranking

In the United States, the name Chancy is the 18,771^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Chancy migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Chancy or a variant listed above:

Chancy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

L Chancy, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Chancy (post 1700) +

Eric Chancy Croft (b. 1964), American lawyer and politician, Member of the Anchorage Assembly, son of Leland Chancy Croft
Leland Chancy Croft (b. 1937), American politician, Member of the University of Alaska Board of Regents (1995-2003), Chair of the University of Alaska Board of Regents (2001-2002)

Citations +

Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)