Chancy History, Family Crest & Coats Of Arms - HouseofNames

• Origins Available:
• England
• France

Etymology of Chancy

From the historical and enchanting region of France emerged a multitude of notable family names, including that of the distinguished Chancy 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 Chancy 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 Chancy family

The surname Chancy 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

Chancey is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France.

Early History of the Chancy family

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

Chancy 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 Chancy family

• Francois de Chancy (1600-1656), a French singer lutenist and composer

Chancy Ranking

the United States, the name Chancy is the 18,771st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Chancy migration to the United States

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Chancy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• L Chancy, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Chancy (post 1700)

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• Eric Chancy Croft (b. 1964), American lawyer and politician, Member of the Anchorage Assembly, son of Leland Chancy Croft
• Leland Chancy Croft (b. 1937), American politician, Member of the University of Alaska Board of Regents (1995-2003), Chair of the University of Alaska Board of Regents (2001-2002)

Related Stories

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• Family Crests: Elements
• Nicknames: surnames that typically refer to characteristics of the original bearer of the name
• Spelling variations: Why the spellings of names have changed over the centuries
• Edward I
• Hundred: an early Norse term typically denoting 100 households

Sources

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1. Liber Niger Scutarii ("Black Book of the Exchequer"), containing reports by county on feudal holdings in England in 1166 (reign of Henry II)
2. 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)
3. 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
4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
5. 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)