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The chain Surname

chain Name Meaning and History

French: from Old French chain, a device for catching birds, possibly applied as a metonymic occupational name for a bird-catcher or a hunter. In some cases it may be an American spelling of the French topographic surname Chêne (see Chene).

Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
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The chain name in History

A unique volume of fascinating facts, statistics and commentary following the chain family name as far back in history as possible.

chain Family Facts

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Distribution of chain Families in the US in 1920
Number of chain families
 25-47
 9-24		 1-8
 0
Compiled by Ancestry.com from the 1920 US Federal Census records

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Year

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  • You can decide where (in which states) to start searching for chain records.
  • You can see how chain families moved over time by selecting different Census years.

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The information for this map came from Ancestry.com’s US Federal Census Collection.
  • Census records can tell you little-known facts about your ancestors such as birthplace, residence and occupation.
  • Click here to search chain census records.

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