Chambers History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Chambers

What does the name Chambers mean?

During that dark period of history known as the Middle Ages, the name of Chambers was first used in France. Many names with Old French origins arrived in Scotland and England in the 11th century with the Norman Conquest. While the patronymic and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the name of the father and mother respectively, are the most common form of a hereditary surname in France, occupational surnames also emerged during the late Middle Ages. Many people, such as the Chambers family, adopted the name of their occupation as their surname. However, an occupational name did not become a hereditary surname until the office or type of employment became hereditary. The surname Chambers was an occupational name for a servant in the bedroom of a nobleman. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old French word "chambre" which means room, and refers to someone of the title chamberlain, which later came to signify a more administrative office in noble households.

Early Origins of the Chambers family

The surname Chambers was first found in Denbighshire (Welsh: Sir Ddinbych), a historic county in Northeast Wales, created by the Laws in Wales Act 1536, where they held lands at Llewenne, granted to John de Chambre from the Earl of Lincoln, who was Constable of Chester. John was a "nobelle Normanne who entred Englaunde in ye traine of King Williaume."

One of the earliest records of the family was on the infamous side. John a Chamber or Chamberlayne (d. 1489), was an English rebel, "a knight of great influence in the north, excited the people to join the rebellion headed by Sir John Egremond in Northumberland and Durham against the heavy subsidy of 1489. Henry, Earl of Northumberland, who had orders to enforce the tax, endeavoured to persuade him to cease his agitation. Chamber would not hear him, and on 20 April the earl was slain by the rebels at Cock Lodge, near Thirsk. Then Thomas, Earl of Surrey, was sent to put down the insurrection. He took Chamber and utterly routed the rebels. Chamber was executed at York. " 1

Early History of the Chambers family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chambers research. Another 195 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1465, 1472, 1491, 1530, 1546, 1592, 1604, 1609, 1645, 1664, 1691, 1694, 1696, 1702, 1703, 1726, 1775, 1796 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Chambers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chambers Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Chambers, Chalmers, Chamer, Chalmairs, Challmers and others.

Early Notables of the Chambers family

Notable among the family at this time was

David Chambers, Lord Ormond (1530?-1592), Scottish historian and judge, born in Ross-shire and educated at Aberdeen, where he took orders

Chambers World Ranking

In the United States, the name Chambers is the 290^th most popular surname with an estimated 92,019 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Chambers is ranked the 511^st most popular surname with an estimated 9,570 people with that name. 3 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Chambers is the 569^th popular surname with an estimated 80 people with that name. 4 Australia ranks Chambers as 294^th with 12,036 people. 5 New Zealand ranks Chambers as 308^th with 1,980 people. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Chambers as 210^th with 27,137 people. 7

Migration of the Chambers family to Ireland

Some of the Chambers family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 214 words (15 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chambers migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Chambers Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Chambers, aged 21 who settled in Virginia in 1621 aboard the ship "Bona Nova"
Alice Chambers, who landed in Virginia in 1623 aboard the ship "Southampton" 8
James Chambers, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 8
Thomas Chambers, aged 24, who landed in Virginia in 1623 aboard the ship "Southampton" 8
Miss Anne Chambers, British settler who sailed from Isle of Wight arriving in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Chambers Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Chambers, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1712-1713 8
Jane Chambers, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 8
John Chambers, who landed in Maryland in 1716 8
Joseph Chambers, who settled in Georgia in 1733
Patrick Chambers, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Chambers Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Chambers, who landed in New York, NY in 1804 8
Edward Chambers, who settled in New York City in 1804
Edward Chambers, who landed in New York, NY in 1804 8
Isa Chambers, who arrived in America in 1805 8
Alex Chambers, who landed in America in 1805 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Chambers migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Chambers Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

John Chambers, who settled in Salvage, Newfoundland in 1676 10

Chambers Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Henry Chambers, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
Charles Chambers, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
John Chambers, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
John Chambers, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1760
William Chambers, who settled in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1779 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Chambers Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Chambers, aged 19, who arrived in Canada in 1811
James Chambers, who landed in Canada in 1816
Alexander Chambers was Justice of the Peace for southern Newfoundland in 1834 10
George Chambers, aged 17, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Protector" in 1834
Elizabeth Chambers, aged 24, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Protector" in 1834
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Chambers Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Mrs. Louie F. Chambers (Mrs), (b. 1878), aged 25, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Patricia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 20th August 1903 en route to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada 11
R T Chambers, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Chambers migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Chambers Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Chambers, British Convict who was convicted in Worcester, Worcestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Miss Eleanor Chambers, (Ellen, Chamberlain), (b. 1787), aged 25, English house servant who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life for theft, transported aboard the "Emu" in October 1812, the ship was captured and the passengers put ashore, the convicts were then transported aboard the "Broxburnebury" in January 1812 arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
Mr. George Chambers, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 14
Mr. William Chambers, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in December 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 14
Mr. William Chambers who was convicted in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Dick" on 2nd October 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Chambers migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Chambers Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Mary Chambers, (b. 1826), aged 32, English settler from Hertfordshire travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st September 1858 16
Mr. Charles William Chambers, (b. 1828), aged 30, English carpenter from Hertfordshire travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st September 1858 16
Miss Jessie Mary Chambers, (b. 1857), aged 1, English settler from Hertfordshire travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st September 1858 16
Mr. James Chambers, (b. 1836), aged 22, Irish labourer from County Down travelling from London aboard the ship "Strathallan" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st January 1859 16
William Chambers, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ida Zeigler" in 1863
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Chambers migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 17

Chambers Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Miss Elizabeth Chambers, (b. 1615), aged 20, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Alexander" arriving in Barbados in 1635 18

Contemporary Notables of the name Chambers (post 1700) +

Charles Chambers (1971-2025), known by his stage name DJ Funk, an American DJ, built a regional reputation in the Chicago-Detroit region and the Midwest rave scene, his album Booty House Anthems was distributed nationally and sold over one million copies (1999), founded the Funk Records label (2006)
Olivia Chambers (b. 2003), visually impaired American Paralympic swimmer, gold medalist at the 2024 Paralympic Games
Joe Chambers (1943-2024), American singer, founding member of the The Chambers Brothers, best known for writing "Time Has Come Today"
Mortimer H. Chambers (1927-2020), American Ancient Historian from Saginaw, Michigan
Anne Beau Cox Chambers (1919-2020), American media proprietor and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Belgium from 1977 to 1981
Brigadier-General William Earl Chambers (1892-1952), American Chief of Operations Division, G-3 Section, US Army Forces Pacific (1945) 19
Jay Vivian "Whittaker" Chambers (1901-1961), American writer, editor and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers (1935-1969), American jazz bassist
Colonel Justice Marion Chambers (1908-1982), American Marine Corps officer awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1945
William Paris Chambers (1854-1913), American composer, cornet soloist, and bandmaster
... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Chambers family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. William Robert Chambers (b. 1920), English Corporal from Leiston, Suffolk, England, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 20

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Guy Winstaney P. Chambers, American 2nd Class passenger from Boston, Massachusetts, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 21
Mrs. Ethel Chambers, American 2nd Class passenger from Boston, Massachusetts, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking and was recovered 21

RMS Titanic

Mrs. Bertha Chambers, (née Griggs), aged 32, American First Class passenger from New York City, New York who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 5 22
Mr. Norman Campbell Chambers, aged 27, American First Class passenger from New York City, New York who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 5 22

Vimy Ridge

William Lawrence Chambers (1895-1917), Canadian telegraph operator, Private in the 44th Battalion from Manitoba who died at Vimy Ridge April 1917

The Chambers Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Spero
Motto Translation: I hope.

Sources +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"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 order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Emu
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Dick
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 28th September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, November 3) William Chambers. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Chambers/William_Earl/USA.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html