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![Show Contents]() Chiffinch History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The name Chiffinch comes from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It was a name for a bald man. The surname Chiffinch is a diminutive derived from the Old French words chauf and cauf, which both mean bald. This is ultimately derived from the Latin word calvus, which has the same meaning. The words chauf and cauf are supplemented by the suffixes in or on, which have several variations and are two of the most common diminutive suffixes. Early Origins of the Chiffinch familyThe surname Chiffinch was first found in Dorset where branches of the family were found in Chettle and Folke. Chettle dates back to at least the Domesday Book where it was listed as Ceotel and probably was derived from the Old English word ceotel, meaning "deep valley." Folke dates back to 1244 where it was derived from the Old English word folc, which meant people, as in "land held by the people." 1 Early History of the Chiffinch familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chiffinch research. Another 56 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1600, 1602, 1627, 1628, 1641, 1666, 1668, 1688 and 1714 are included under the topic Early Chiffinch History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Chiffinch Spelling VariationsOnly recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Chiffinch has undergone many spelling variations, including Chaffin, Chaffinch, Caffin and others. Early Notables of the Chiffinch familyDistinguished members of the family include - Thomas Chiffinch (1600-1666), was Keeper of Charles II's jewels and his majesty's closet, Comptroller of the Excise, and was born at Salisbury in 1600, brought to the court of Charles I by Brian Duppa...
- William Chiffinch (1602?-1688), was Closet-Keeper to Charles II and was only brother of Thomas Chiffinch, to most of whose offices he succeeded in 1668, as page of his majesty's bed-chamber and keeper...
Migration of the Chiffinch familyTo escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Chiffinch were among those contributors: John Chaffinch who settled in Connecticut in 1630; Daniel Chaffin arrived in Barbados in 1680 with his wife and servants; Fortune Chaffin arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1827..
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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