Châtelaine History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The Medieval culture once found in the northwestern region of France known as Brittany is the soil from which the many generations of the Châtelaine family have grown. The name Châtelaine was given to a member of the family who was a governor or steward of a castle having derived from the Old French word "castelain," which referred to some of that profession.

Early Origins of the Châtelaine family

The surname Châtelaine was first found in Brittany, where the family has held a family seat since ancient times.

Early History of the Châtelaine family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Châtelaine research. Another 106 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1403, 1475, 1500, 1606, 1636, 1684, 1829, 1848 and 1902 are included under the topic Early Châtelaine History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Châtelaine Spelling Variations

Most surnames have experienced slight spelling changes. A son may not chose to spell his name the same way that his father did. Many were errors, many deliberate. During the early development of the French language, a person usually gave his version, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Prefixes or suffixes varied. They were optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, there a many spelling variations of the name Châtelaine, including Chatelain, Chatelaine, Chatellain, Chatellaine, Chattelain, Chattelaine, Chattellain, Chattellaine, Chatelains, Chatelaines, de Chatelain, du Chatelain, Châtelain, Châtelaine, Châtellain, Châtellaine, Châtelains, Châtelaines, Chastelain, Castelain and many more.

Early Notables of the Châtelaine family

More information is included under the topic Early Châtelaine Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Châtelaine migration to Canada +

By 1643 there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Since immigration was slow, early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Châtelaine has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Châtelaine were

Châtelaine Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Francois Chatelaine, who settled in Quebec in 1722 from Ile-de-France
Antoine Chatelaine, who settled in Quebec in 1750 from Champagne