An excerpt from www.HouseOfNames.com archives copyright © 2000 - 2015
Origins Available: French, Welsh
Where did the Welsh Challen family come from? What is the Welsh Challen family crest and coat of arms? When did the Challen family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the Challen family history?The surname Challen is derived from the Old English word "chaloun," which means "blanket." This word comes from the place named Châlons-sur-Marne, a prosperous industrial center in Europe, where these items were produced. The name is thought to have been occupational for someone who made or sold blankets or coverlets. The surname Challen may also be a local surname given to someone who came from this place.
Although there are not an extremely large number Welsh surnames, there are an inordinately large number of spelling variations of those surnames. This variety of spellings began almost immediately after the acceptance of surnames within Welsh society. As time progressed, these old Brythonic names were eventually were recorded in English. This process was problematic in that many of the highly inflected sounds of the native language of Wales could not be properly captured in English. Some families, however, did decide to modify their own names to indicate a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even a patriotic affiliation. The name Challen has seen various spelling variations: Chaloner, Challener, Challenor, Challinor, Chalener, Chalenor, Challoner, Chalinor, Challon, Challin, Challen, Chalen, Chalin and many more.
First found in Powys (Welsh: Powys), a Welsh Kingdom in post-Roman times, now a county of Wales created by joining the former counties of Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire, and Breconshire, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Challen research. Another 305 words(22 lines of text) covering the years 1472, 1558, 1521, 1565, 1559, 1615, 1595, 1661, 1650, 1699 and 1699 are included under the topic Early Challen History in all our PDF Extended History products.
Another 201 words(14 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Challen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products.
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Challen Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
The Challen Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Challen Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.
This page was last modified on 2 July 2014 at 07:50.