| ![Show Contents]() Chatelaine History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
France
Etymology of ChatelaineWhat does the name Chatelaine mean? The Medieval culture once found in the northwestern region of France known as Brittany is the soil from which the many generations of the Chatelaine family have grown. The name Chatelaine was given to a member of the family who was a governor or steward of a castle, a Châtelain, having derived from the Old French word "castelain," which referred to some of that profession. The French name chatelaine literally means "mistress of a chateau," as she would have worn a belt for her keys, which later became known as a "chatelaine." In Canada, the wife of the Governor General, is referred to by the symbolic title "Châtelaine of Rideau Hall." Early Origins of the Chatelaine familyThe surname Chatelaine was first found in Brittany, but due to the nature of the meaning of the name, there are other local uses of the word throughout France: Châtelain, Mayenne, a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France; Camblain-Châtelain, a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France; and Lignières-Châtelain, a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France. Early History of the Chatelaine familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chatelaine 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 Chatelaine History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Chatelaine Spelling VariationsMost 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 Chatelaine, 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 Chatelaine familyMore information is included under the topic Early Chatelaine Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Chatelaine 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 Chatelaine 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 Chatelaine were Chatelaine 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
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