Chaney Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Chaney last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Chaney last name
Meaning of the Chaney last name: oak grove. Chaney is an English surname of Norman French origin, from chesnai, "oak grove", for someone who lived by an oak wood or came from a French place named after one. It is a form of Cheyney. The last name settled in England after the Norman Conquest and was carried to Maryland and Virginia. A curious detail of this surname origin: the old French word for oak survives in the modern French chene.
Arms associated with the Chaney name
English heralds once toured the counties to check who used a coat of arms, and heraldry associated with the Chaney surname belongs to that long tradition.
Get your full Chaney family history
This is only a glimpse of the Chaney story. The full Chaney history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Chaney coat of arms. Get the full Chaney report.
Chaney name FAQ
What does the Chaney name mean?
Oak grove. Common variants include Cheyney, Cheney.
Where does the Chaney surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Australia and Canada.
Is there a Chaney coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Chaney coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).