Lachance History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
England

From the historical and enchanting region of France emerged a multitude of notable family names, including that of the distinguished Lachance family. Originally, the people in this region went by one (personal) name. Surnames evolved during the Middle Ages when people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. These names then began to become "fixed" or hereditary between the generations. One of the types of names adopted as surnames were those derived from nicknames. Nickname surnames were derived from an eke-name, or added name, and generally reflected some physical characteristics or other attribute of the first person that used the name. The Lachance surname derives from the Old French word "cheaunce," which means "chance," and as such was likely originally a nickname for a gambler, for a lucky person, or ironically, for an unlucky person.

Early Origins of the Lachance family

The surname Lachance was first found in Chanceaux, in Touraine. Many of the family settled in Devonshire, England from the time of the Conquest. "In 1086 Milton, with Lideton, Devon, belonged to Tavistock Abbey. Goisfrid then held them, from whom descended Reginald de Lideton, who 1165 held two fees of Tavistock." 1

"It appears that the Lidetons and Chanceaux, who were Lords of Lideton, were the same. Geoffrey, Giles, and John de Cancellis or Chanceaux are mentioned, of whom the last named surrendered. Lideton to Edward I.' 2

"It was at that period they removed from the county, and we next find them in Sussex, where Emeric de Chanceux or de Cancellis served as Sheriff, 7 & 8 Edward I. (during the seven and eighth year of Edward I's reign); and in the following century in Northamptonshire, when Robert de Chanceaux acquired Upton in right of his wife Margaret, the widow of Robert Bellew. They continued there for three descents, and their heiress married Richard Knightley. Nicholas de Chanceus in 1316 had been certified Lord of the Hundred of Nobottle-Grove, in that county, in addition to the township of Upton. Giles de Chanceaux, two years before, received a writ of military summons ; and John de Chanceux was summoned from the Hundred of Rochford in Essex to serve against the Scots in 1322. Giles was the son of John de Chanceux, who in 1289 held the manor of Canewdon of the King in capite of his Honour of Rayleigh." 3

Early History of the Lachance family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lachance research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1263, 1406, 1407, 1409, 1412, 1420, 1423, 1428, 1484, 1507, 1600, 1644 and 1656 are included under the topic Early Lachance History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lachance Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Lachance, LaChance, Lachancé, Lachancée, Lachancy, Lachancey, Chancé, Chancée, Chancy, Chancey, le Chancy, le Chancey, de Chancy, de Chancey, Chancel, Chansel, Chanceau, Duchancel, Duchansel, Duchanceau, Chancelier, Lechancelier and many more.

Early Notables of the Lachance family

Notable at this time was Étienne de Chancey, advisor to the duke, 1420; Hughes de Chancey, a squire, 1428; Jean de Chancey, advisor to the duke...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lachance Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lachance World Ranking

In the United States, the name Lachance is the 2,960^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 4 However, in Canada, the name Lachance is ranked the 155^th most popular surname with an estimated 22,201 people with that name. 5 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Lachance is the 47^th popular surname. 6

Lachance migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lachance Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

G. L. LaChance, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1836

Lachance migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lachance Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Antoine Lachance, who arrived in Quebec in 1659
Antoine Pepin dit Lachance (1632-1703) married Marie Teste in Canada in 1659

Contemporary Notables of the name Lachance (post 1700) +

Janice R. Lachance, American 13th chief executive of the Special Libraries Association and a former Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (1997-2001)
Scott Lachance (b. 1972), American professional NHL hockey player who played from 1991 to 2007
George Joseph "Candy" LaChance (1870-1932), American Major League Baseball player who played between 1893 and 1905
Craig LaChance, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Idaho, 1972 7
Bernard Lachance (1974-2021), Canadian singer-songwriter from Lévis, Quebec, Canada
Jason Lachance, Canadian gold and two-time silver medalist Paralympic wheelchair racer at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Georges-C. Lachance (b. 1926), Canadian politician, Member of Parliament for Lafontaine (1962-1974)
Walter William LaChance (b. 1870), Canadian architect from Brockville, Ontario who principally designed rural schools throughout Ontario and Saskatchewan
Michel Lachance (b. 1955), Canadian professional NHL hockey player for the Colorado Rockies (1976-1980)
Claude-André Lachance (b. 1954), Canadian lawyer and politician, Member of the Canadian Parliament for Lafontaine (1974-1979)
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Liber Niger Scutarii ("Black Book of the Exchequer"), containing reports by county on feudal holdings in England in 1166 (reign of Henry II)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html