The chevalier Surname
chevalier Name Meaning and History
French: from Old French chevalier ‘knight’ (literally
‘horseman’, ‘rider’, from Late Latin caballarius, a derivative
of caballus ‘horse’). In the Middle Ages only men of
comparative wealth were able to afford the upkeep of a riding
horse. It is likely that in the majority of cases the surname was
originally a nickname, or an occupational name for a knight’s servant,
rather than a status name, for most men of the knightly class belonged
to noble families which had more specific surnames derived from their
estates.
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
Learn the meaning and history of your first name
Share this page with friends and family
Search for chevalier records
More resources for your chevalier family history
Chevalier message board
Threads: 103 - Messages: 290
Start your FREE family tree. Who will you discover?
A family tree is the easiest way to start discovering your family history. To begin, just enter whatever you know and we'll use that to try and find more information for you.
Begin your family tree with your name:
The chevalier name in History
A unique volume of fascinating facts, statistics and commentary following the chevalier family name as far back in history as possible.
Member Connections
- Anonymously contact one of the Ancestry members researching the chevalier last name.
- Search for Ancestry members researching one of your specific ancestors.
- Create or update your own Ancestry member profile so that other members can anonymously contact you.
More Tools and Resources
- Search Ancestry.com for all of your chevalier ancestors.
- Create and publish your own family history book using Ancestry Press.
- Learn more about your family history using DNA Ancestry.
- Learn more about family history in the Ancestry Learning Center.
- Visit the Ancestry.com homepage.