Chauncy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Chauncy reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Chauncy family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Chauncy 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 Chauncy family

The surname Chauncy 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 Chauncy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chauncy 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 Chauncy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chauncy Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Chance, Chancey, Chaunceur, Channsy, Channsey, Chauncey, Chancy and many more.

Early Notables of the Chauncy 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...

Chauncy migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Chauncy name or one of its variants:

Chauncy Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Charles Chauncy, who settled in New England in 1638 was Second President of Harvard College
Charles Chauncy, who arrived in New England in 1638 4
Ichabod Chauncy, who landed in New England in 1651 4
Isaac Chauncy, who arrived in New England in 1651 4
Bamabas Chauncy, who landed in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1656 4

Chauncy migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Chauncy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Theresa Susannah Chauncy, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "John Renwick" in 1837 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Chauncy (post 1700) +

Major Frederick Chauncy,
Chauncy Maples (1852-1895), British Anglican missionary, Bishop of Likoma, on Likoma Island, in East Africa, eponym of the SS Chauncy Maples, the first steamship on Lake Nyasa
Chauncy Tucker, American politician, Delegate to Whig National Convention from New York, 1839 6
Chauncy Brooks, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for Presidential Elector for New York, 1896 7

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)
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOHN RENWICK 1837. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837JohnRenwick.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html