Surname Chamblee - Meaning and Origin
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Chamblee: What does the surname Chamblee mean?
The surname Chamblee is of English origin and is derived from the Old French term "chamblyer," which referred to someone who lives near or in a chamber or room. The name is said to have originated from the place name of Chambly in northern France. It is believed to have been used as a metonymic occupational name for someone who was a chamberlain or a steward. The earliest records of the name in England can be traced back to 1279 when Willelmo de Chamblyer was listed in the Hundred Rolls of Suffolk.
Chamblee is a fairly uncommon last name, and most of the people with it now are descendants of the original family to come to England generations ago. The Chamblee surname has been throughout the centuries in a fairly consistent form, an indication that its spelling was not easily changed by those who bear it.
Today, the Chamblees are of British Isles origin and are mostly found in northern parts of England and in parts of Ireland. It is also found in North America, where many immigrants from the British Isles settled centuries ago. Despite being a relatively rare surname, some well-known people bear it, including the American actor and musician Laurence Scott Chamblee.
Most of the Chamblees today have close ties with their ancestry, and the name Chamblee signifies loyalty, tradition, and hard work.
Order DNA origin analysisChamblee: Where does the name Chamblee come from?
The last name Chamblee is most common in the United States today, particularly in the states of Georgia and North Carolina. However, its distribution is far from even. According to the US Census Bureau, of the roughly 16,000 individuals with the Chamblee surname in the United States, more than 8,000 live in Georgia alone. North Carolina is the next most populous state for this surname, with about 2,700 Chamblees.
It is also found in other countries throughout the world, particularly in English-speaking countries. Its presence is notable in Canada, England, Scotland, and Australia, with British colonists likely spreading the name during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Great Migration of the late 19th and early 20th centuries brought many African-Americans out of the American south, including some Chamblees, resulting in populations of this surname in major cities like New York and Philadelphia.
The Chamblee family is of Scottish origin, believed to be descended from a Norman settler who lived in the 16th century. The first known use of the surname is found in documents from the city of Lockerrib, Scotland in the late 1700s. In America, the first Chamblees arrived in the 1700s, settling first in Virginia and eventually spreading to Georgia.
Today, Chamblees are found in almost every state in the nation, and the last name still takes slightly different forms depending on where one lives; for example, members of the Canadian branch sometimes spell the name as “Chambly” to differentiate it from its American counterpart.
Variations of the surname Chamblee
The surname Chamblee is an English and Irish patronymic surname, indicating a person whose ancestors were named Chamb. The original spelling of the surname is most commonly found in record books as Chamberley, Chambley, Chamberlayne, Chamberlaine or Chamblin.
Variations of the name Chamblee have been recorded in ancient manuscripts in a variety of regional spellings and derivatives, including Chamblyn, Chamberlin, Chambolle, Chamberlayne, Chambly, Chambley, Chambell, Chamberlen, Champley, Chamly, Chamberlynne, Chambelaine or Chamblinne. As with all surnames that have been adapted from regional dialects, the spelling of the surname could be dictated by the local dialect at the time of its recording.
In Ireland, the spellings of Chambley, Chambley, Chamblin, Chamberlaine and Chambell are more common than Chamberley, Chamberlayne and Champley, which are more common in England.
Variations to the spelling of the surname can also be found on passenger lists from colonial America and Canada, with many variants being adopted as a result of poor literacy skills from the original speaker.
No matter how a person’s surname is spelled, all of the variations lead back to the same birthplace in England or Ireland with the original patronymic Chamb.
Surnames that have the same origin as Chamblee include Chamberlayne, Chambly, Chambley, Chambell, Chamberlen, Champley, Chamly, Chamberlynne, Chambelaine, Chamblinne, Chamblyn, Chamberlin and Chambolle.
Famous people with the name Chamblee
- Kelly Chamblee Patterson: American journalist and author
- Brent Chamblee: former Major League Baseball pitcher
- Charles Chamblee: American politician
- Bill Chamblee: former NASCAR driver
- Chet Chamblee: former city councilman of Fulton County, Georgia
- James Chamblee: former Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina
- Jenna Chamblee: former Miss USA Runner-up
- Andrew Chamblee: professional photographer
- George Chamblee: Former Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court
- Robert Chamblee: American singer-songwriter