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![Show Contents]() Chittendant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The name Chittendant is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived in the village of Crotynden (Crittenden or Cruttenden) in West Kent. This lost village is thought to have derived its name from the Old English personal name Gu(dh)here + Old English "-ing" and "denn," literally meaning "person living near a woodland pasture." (Oxford) Another source claims the name was derived from "the cot on the lower hill; from cru, a cot; tane, lower, and dun or din, a hill; or it may be the chalk hill, from krit, Saxon, chalk." 1 Early Origins of the Chittendant familyThe surname Chittendant was first found in West Kent at Crittenden. While this is the generally accepted origin of the name one source claims the family originally "came from Criddon, formerly Critendone (Cridela's hill), in Shropshire." 2 Early History of the Chittendant familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chittendant research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1481 is included under the topic Early Chittendant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Chittendant Spelling VariationsSound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Chittendant family name include Crittenden, Cruttenden, Critenden, Crutenden and many more. Early Notables of the Chittendant familyMore information is included under the topic Early Chittendant Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Chittendant familyFor political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Chittendant surname or a spelling variation of the name include : George Crittenden who arrived in San Francisco in 1852 with his wife, six children, and two servants; Albert Crittenden, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1876.
- Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
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