Chaumont History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Early Origins of the Chaumont family

The surname Chaumont was first found in Yorkshire in the West Riding where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Colton, held by Ilbert de Lacy, a Norman noble who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. These lands were later acquired by William de Chaumont of Orne, son-in-law of the French King Louis le Gros.

Early History of the Chaumont family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chaumont research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1510 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Chaumont History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chaumont Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Chaumont, Chaumond, Caumont, Caumond and others.

Early Notables of the Chaumont family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

the Chaumont family of Yorkshire

Chaumont Ranking

In France, the name Chaumont is the 1,026^th most popular surname with an estimated 5,211 people with that name. 2

Chaumont migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Chaumont or a variant listed above:

Chaumont Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Anselme Chaumont, who arrived in Louisiana in 1718
Pierre Chaumont, who was one of the "Louisiana recruits" (French Navy) in 1756

Chaumont Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

D. Chaumont, who arrived at the port of Philadelphia in 1819
James LeRay De Chaumont who arrived in New York in 1833
James LeRay De Chaumont, who arrived in New York in 1833 3
J. B. Chaumont, who arrived in San Francisco by ship in 1852

Contemporary Notables of the name Chaumont (post 1700) +

Jacques-Donatien Le Ray de Chaumont (1726-1803), French "Father of the American Revolution, " eponym of Chaumont, New York
Marcelle Chaumont (1891-1990), French fashion designer and head seamstress for Jeanne Lanvin and Madeleine Vionnet
Olivia Chaumont (b. 1950), French architect and transgender activist
Jean Chaumont (b. 1983), French jazz guitarist and composer, born in Saint-Cloud, France

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)