| ![Show Contents]() Charnay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of CharnayWhat does the name Charnay mean? Noble surnames, such as Charnay, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the French people. The original bearer of the name Charnay, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful region of Orleans. In France, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate.The Charnay family originally derived its surname from the place-name Le Charme, a parish in Orléans. Early Origins of the Charnay familyThe surname Charnay was first found in Orléanais, where the family was established in Le Charme, a parish in the department of Loiret, in the district of Montarges. The members of the family also formed different branches and settled in other regions, especially in Limousin, in Picardy, and in Normandy. Several members of the family distinguished themselves, such as Jean-Antoine de Charnes, the dean of Villeneuve-les-Avignon, in the 17th century. This author of "Conversation sur la princesse de Clèves" (1679) and "Vie du Tasse" (1690), among other works, died at the beginning of the 18th century. Fiacre Ducharme, born in 1623, son of Toussaint and Jacqueline (née DeRoy), travelled from France to Canada around 1653. He held the title of Companion Land Clearer when he arrived in the New World and he was also involved in the battles against the Iroquois. He married Marie Pacrau, daughter of Jacques and Debora (née Bollet), at Ville-Marie on 13th January 1659. They had seven children together and remained at Ville-Marie until Fiacre's death on 17th March 1677. 1 Early History of the Charnay familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Charnay research. More information is included under the topic Early Charnay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Charnay Spelling VariationsSpelling variations of this family name include: Ducharme, Decharme, Ducharne, Ducarme, Ducarne, Charme, Charmes, Charne, Charnes, Carme, Charmet, Charmay, Charmey, Charmoy, Carmoy, Carnoy, Charmil, Charmeil, Charmot, Charman, Charmon, Charmillon, Charmy and many more. Early Notables of the Charnay familyAnother 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Charnay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Charnay RankingFrance, the name Charnay is the 2,763rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 2 Migration of the Charnay familySome of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Pierre Ducharme, who arrived in Montreal in 1661; Benjamin Charme, who came to Virginia sometime between 1663 and 1679; Catherine Ducharme, who came to Quebec in 1671.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Charnay (post 1700) | + |
- David B. Charnay (1912-2002), American industrialist, journalist and producer, known for The Conqueror (1956), Bully: An Adventure with Teddy Roosevelt (1978) and his business partnership and friendship with Howard Hughes
- Yves Charnay (b. 1942), French Light Artist and painter
- Patrick Charnay (b. 1954), French biologist and researcher, emeritus research director for Inserm
- Claude-Joseph Désiré Charnay (1828-1915), French traveller and archaeologist, best known for his explorations of Mexico and Central America
- Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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