Show ContentsChapen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The founding heritage of the Chapen family is in the Anglo-Saxon culture that once dominated in Britain. The name Chapen comes from when one of the family worked as a chaplain, the minister of a sanctuary or church. The name is derived from the Latin word capellanus 1

Early Origins of the Chapen family

The surname Chapen was first found in Hampshire where the oldest record of the name was Albert Chapelain, who was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as a tenant in chief and the king's chaplain. 1

Early History of the Chapen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chapen research. Another 196 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1559, 1591, 1598, 1634, 1659, 1660, 1672, 1675, 1677 and 1696 are included under the topic Early Chapen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chapen Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Chapen has been spelled many different ways, including Chaplin, Chaplins, Chapline, Chaplyn, Cheplain, Chaplain, Chaiplin, Caplin, Caplines, Keplaine and many more.

Early Notables of the Chapen family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir Francis Chaplin; Thomas Chaplin (1591-1672), an English draper and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1659 and 1660; and Samuel...
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Chapen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Chapen family

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Chapens to arrive in North America: Hugh Chaplin from Bradford, Yorkshire, who settled in Rowley, Maine in 1638. His son settled in Attelborough, Massachusetts. Clement Chaplin settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1635.



  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.


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