Chilvers One-Name Study

(Click on picture to enlarge) A photograph of Richard Chilvers.

Chilvers
One-Name Study

Topics

About the Chilvers One-Name Study
Variants
Origin of the surname
Historical occurrences
Frequency of the name
Distribution of the name
Data
Links
Contact Details

About the Chilvers One-Name Study

My interest in family history started a few years after the death of my father in 1979. I had found in his effects a few birth, marriage and death certificates and armed with these I set off to discover if we were indeed related to Lin Chilvers of Norfolk Lavender fame. Sadly I soon found this not to be true but the research did inspire me to find out as much as I could about other Chilvers families. Later I joined the Guild Of One-name Studies and my adventure into the past really began.

Variants

Chilver & Chilvers are inextricably linked and the variations do occur in the parish records within the same family. Any other variants tend to be written as heard. The oldest being CHYLVER and occasionally and more recently CHILVIS, CHILVES,CHILLVERS, CHILVERSE, CHILVUS and even CHILDVERS.

Origin of the surname

What does it mean to be a CHILVERS or CHILVER?

As I am often asked for the origin of the CHILVERS surname I am compiling a collection of possibilities.

A few surname dictionaries contain references to the name but I have to confess that my preferred choice is the following extract from 'A Dictionary of Surnames' by Patrick Hanks & Flavia Hodges published by Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-211592-8

Chilver English: probably from a ME survival of the OE personal name C�olfri�, composed of the elements c�ol ship + fri� peace.

Patr.: Chilvers.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The above definition is supported by Basil Cottle in the 'The Penguin Dictionary of Surnames', ISBN 0-14-051032-X

Chilver(s) F 'ship (cf. keel) peace' OE; and '(son) of C_____'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From 'A Dictionary of English Surnames' by P.H. Reaney & R.M.Wilson, Published by Routledge, ISBN 0-415-05737-X

CHILVER, CHILVERS : Robert Chilver 1674 HTSf (Health Tax Returns - Suffolk).

from Chilvers Coton (Wa).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have come across a source that claims that CHILVERS is a Viking name and has its roots in Scottish history or even a Norman who came over with William the Conqueror. CHILVERS then becomes confused with Chever, Chevers, Chevercourt, Chevercot, Cheves, Chevys, Cheevers, Chivers, Chilver amongst others.

I am often mis-spelt as CHILDERS which is a rare name in England but much more common in the USA. This has Irish roots and is probably derived from CHILDERHOUSE. Many people probably unconsciously connect the name with the well known Erskine CHILDERS.

Is there a CHILVERS Coat of Arms? That depends on whether you believe that the name has noble or more humble origins. If you think that CHIVERS & CHILVERS are connected (and I remain to be convinced) then there are some options available. As for my feelings - I'm proud to be descended from a family of a hard working 'Ag.Labs.'.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was very pleased to receive the following from a CHILVER researcher.

'The Oxford English Dictionary lists chilver as an Old English noun meaning a ewe lamb, often referred to as a 'chilver lamb'. They specify that it is still in use in 'southern dialects' (by which I assume they mean dialects in southern England, as it is certainly not known in the Australian dialect) The Oxford cites instances between 1000AD and 1883AD.

'By contrast, surname dictionaries tend to refer to the Old English name Ceolfrio or Ceolfrith: ceol meaning 'ship' and frio meaning 'peace'.

'I have yet to find any source that evinces the change from ceolfrio to chilver. According to most linguistic texts, the sound /s/ has never changed in English. The /f/ sound was always an allophone of /v/, and the /v/ sound only occurred between vowels, so it is very unlikely that the sound /ceolfrio/ could have changed to /chilver/ in the transition from Old to Middle English, or from Middle to Modern English. In transliteration from Gaelic to English, a /f/ sound is often changed to a /v/ sound, so part may have been possible if ceolfrio were Welsh, Scots Gaelic, or Irish. If chilver is, indeed, connected to ceolfrio, it would thus suggest Celtic origins rather than Norse, as some have suggested. But this, too, is unlikely.

'However, as the phonetic connection with ceolfrio is questionable, I would tend to dismiss the connection with ceolfrio altogether as speculative and lean towards acknowledging the Oxford's definition as the one connected with the ancestors of modern Chilvers.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How about this one received from another Chilvers who tells me that his Grandfather did some research into the family name and traced it back to Dutch engineers going by the name of 'Schijlvers'. They came over to England to build the Bedford Levels.

Historical occurrences

The earliest parish records with the name found so far use the name CHILVER and these occur in Diss and Swaffham, Norfolk. Later the name CHILVERS become more commonplace although CHILVER families are still around.

Frequency of the name

The database of Chilver(s) Births, Marriages & Deaths from 1837 - 2004 contains over 17,000 entries and the name is far more common than at first appreciated.

Distribution of the name

The distribution of the Chilver(s) is illustrated on my web site. The surname originated in East Anglia and about 60% of all the Chilver(s) still live there.

Data

I have indexed all the Chilvers Births, Marriages & Deaths from 1837 - 2004 and the census returns from England and Wales 1841 - 1901. Another database holds marriage records from parshes and overseas sources. I hold a considerable number of family trees produced by numerous contributors in a Brother's Keeper database.

Links

There are at least two web sites dedicated to CHILVERS research. My own at The Chilvers Connection and a site by George Chilvers about a CHILVERS family in Old Buckenham http://www.chilvers1.demon.co.uk/family/Home.htm

Contact details

For further information, contact:

Mr Richard W Chilvers
E-mail:

This page last updated 2 March 2008.