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Chinn History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Sources

Chinn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Chinn

What does the name Chinn mean?

The ancient roots of the Chinn family are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Chinn comes from when the family lived near a crevice, chasm, or canyon. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old English word chine, that comes from the Old English word "cinu," meaning fissure, or chasm. The surname meant "dweller by the ravine."

Early Origins of the Chinn family

The surname Chinn was first found in Somerset, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Chinn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chinn research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1243, 1273, 1275, 1803 and 1804 are included under the topic Early Chinn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chinn Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Chinn has been recorded under many different variations, including Ching, Chinn, Chine, Chynne, Shin, Shinn, Attechine and many more.

Early Notables of the Chinn family

More information is included under the topic Early Chinn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chinn Ranking

In the United States, the name Chinn is the 4,829^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Chinn migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Chinn or a variant listed above:

Chinn Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edward Chinn who arrived in New York in 1798

Chinn Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Edward Chinn, who landed in New York in 1829 2
Mr. Edward J. Chinn, (b. 1890), aged 9, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "St Louis" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 5th August 1899 en route to Calumet, Michigan, USA 3
Mrs. Ellen Chinn, (b. 1868), aged 31, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "St Louis" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 5th August 1899 en route to Calumet, Michigan, USA 3
Miss Lillie Chinn, (b. 1895), aged 4, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "St Louis" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 5th August 1899 en route to Calumet, Michigan, USA 3
Mr. Richard Chinn, (b. 1867), aged 32, Cornish labourer travelling aboard the ship "Campania" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 18th March 1899 en route to Calumet, Michigan, USA 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Chinn Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. Thomas Chinn, (b. 1875), aged 26, Cornish smith travelling aboard the ship "Lucania" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 22nd June 1901 en route to New York, USA 3
Mr. Thomas Chinn, (b. 1882), aged 21, Cornish labourer travelling aboard the ship "St Louis" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 26th September 1903 en route to Ishpeming, Michigan, USA 3
Mr. Frederick Chinn, (b. 1880), aged 23, Cornish steam engineer travelling aboard the ship "Teutonic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 9th April 1903 en route to Philadelphia, USA 3
Mr. Horace Chinn, (b. 1882), aged 21, Cornish labourer travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 15th August 1903 en route to Michigan, USA 3
Mr. John Henry Chinn, (b. 1875), aged 28, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 28th June 1903 en route to Port Richmond, New York, USA 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Chinn migration to Australia +

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

Chinn Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Chinn, (b. 1810), aged 18, English carpenter who was convicted in Hertford, Hertfordshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 29th April 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Mr. Richard Chinn, English convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 25th June 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. George Chinn, Welsh convict who was convicted in Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales for 10 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 8th December 1839, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
William Chinn, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Morley" in 1840 7
Sarah Chinn, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Morley" in 1840 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Chinn 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:

Chinn Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Chinn, aged 22, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Wild Duck" in 1873

Contemporary Notables of the name Chinn (post 1700) +

Bob Chinn (1923-2022), American restaurateur who created Bob Chinn's Crab House, in Wheeling, Illinois, which opened in 1982 and was ranked by Forbes magazine in August 2012 as the top grossing restaurant in America with an estimated $24 million in revenue
Peter Chinn, American award winning director, known for How the Earth Was Made (2007), In the Womb: Extreme Animals (2009) and Nova (1974)
Casey P. Chinn, American award winning editor
Jonathan Chinn, American Primetime Emmy Award winning producer, known for American High (2000), Kid Nation (2007) and 30 Days (2005)
Simon Chinn, American two-time Academy Award winning producer, known for his work on Searching for Sugar Man (2012), Man on Wire (2008) and The Imposter
Jeanne Chinn, American actress, known for her work on Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Shopping for Fangs (1997) and Fat Albert (2004)
Laura Chinn, American actress, known for Warrior (2011), The Adjustment Bureau and Fairly Criminal (2010)
Joseph W. Chinn (1866-1936), American jurist, judge of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit of Virginia
Howard Allen Chinn (b. 1906), American broadcasting engineer, Chief audio engineer at Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) beginning in the 1940s, awarded the John H. Potts Award in 1950 and the NAB Engineering Achievement Award in 1968
Clement Chinn, American banker
... (Another 20 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Chinn family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. Charles Leslie Chinn, British Stoker 1st Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 8

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
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 19th April 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) MORLEY 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Morley.htm
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html