Chandler Family Crest, Coat of Arms and Name History

Chandler Surname Name Meaning, Origin, History, & Etymology
The Anglo-Saxon surname Chandler, of Norman French origin, is an occupational name that developed as a means of denoting a person who makes and sells candles, deriving from the Middle English word chaundeler, the Old French word chandelier, and the late Latin candelarius, a derivative of candela, meaning candle. A related theory is the name referred to a person was responsible for lighting of rooms in a large house or castle, or perhaps, a person who paid their rent in the form of candles or wax. Spelling variations and names with similar etymologies include Chandelier, Chaundler, Candeler, Chantler, Chandeler, Chauntler, and Candler.

The earliest known ancestor of this family is Fulbert de l’Aigle who was born on L’Aigle, Orne, Basse-Normandie in France in 980 AD. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 AD, a census of Wales and England, known in Latin as Rotuli Hundredorum, lists three bearers: Mathew le Candeler (London), Reginald le Chandeler (London), and William Candelarius (Leicestershire). John le Chanteler was recorded in the Close Rolls of about 1246 AD. A one John the “Candelar” was documented in the writings in 1296 AD in Berwick, Scotland. Matilda Candeler was recorded in the Poll Tax of Yorkshire in 1379 AD. John Candler (or Candeler or Chanter) was listed in the Register of the University of Oxford in 1548 AD.The surname first established itself in Lancashire where it is the family held land and titles.

According to The Chandler Family Association, “The earliest known Chandler to settle in the New World was immigrant JOHN CHANDLER who landed at Jamestown on Sunday, June 10, 1610. He had traveled among about 30 settlers aboard the “Hercules,” smallest of three ships in the expedition led by Sir Thomas West of Hampshire, Lord Delaware”.

Popularity & Geographic Distribution
The last name Chandler ranks 379^th in popularity in the United Status as of the 2000 Census. The name ranks particularly high in the following six states: Alabama (146^th), Georgia (177^th), Idaho (160^th), Delaware (191^st), Mississippi (211^th), and South Carolina (218^th).

The surname Chandler ranks as follows in the English-speaking world: England (415^th), Ireland (1,856^th), Scotland (998^th), Wales (467^th), Northern Ireland (2,801^st), Canada (1,445^th), Australia (431^st), New Zealand (715^th), and South Africa (2,417^th).

Chandler Family Tree & Chandler Genealogy
Here is one pedigree or genealogical lineage of this family, which traces all the way back to medieval times:

Fulbert de l’Aigle, 1st Baron (c. 980 AD in L’Aigle, Orne, Basse-Normandie, France)
Engenulphe de L’Aigle (c. 1010 AD)
Richer de L’Aigle, Seigneur de l’Aigle (c. 1050 AD in L’Aigle, Orne, Normandy, France)
Gilbert de L’aigle, Vicomte d’Exmes II (c. 1073 AD in Aigle, Vaud, Switzerland)
Richer de l’Aigle, 5th Baron de L’Aigle (c. 1090 AD in Aigle, Vaud, Switzerland)
Richard de l’Aigle II (c. 1100 AD in Maine, Poitou-Charentes, France)
Gilbert Guy de L’Aigle, Lord of Pevensey (c. 1170 AD in Surrey, England)
Gilbert de l’Aigle II, also known as “Le Chaundeler” (c. 2120 AD in France)
*Nicholas le Chaundeler (c. 1240 AD in Normandy, France)
Richard Le Chaundeler (c. 1270 AD in Normandy, France)
Richard Le Chaundeler (c. 1300 AD in Strotfold Hundred, Wiltshire, England)
Roger Le Chaundeler (c. 1330 in Normandy, France)
Simon le Chaundeler, de Echelhampton (c. 1360 AD in Normandy, France)
John le Chaundeler (c. 1390 AD in Normandy, France)
Robert Le Chaundeler (c. 1420 AD in Wilcot, Wiltshire, England)
John Oare Le Chaundeler (c. 1450 AD in Oare, Wilcot, Wiltshire, England)
Thomas Chandler I (c. 1475 in Bishops Strotford, Hertfordshire, England)
Thomas Chandler II (c. 1500 in Bishops Strotford, Hertfordshire, England)
John Thomas Chandler (c. 1525 in Bishops Strotford, Hertfordshire, England)
Tobias Chandler (c. 1551 in Bishops Strotford, Hertfordshire, England)
William Chalder (c. 1595)

*From geni.com: “The ancestry of Nicholas le Chaundeler, who, as we have seen, removed from the county of Kent, where the family appears to have first settled, is obscure. He was of Noman descent, and probably the first of his line to live permanently in England. The name occurs frequently in Normandy; but no important genealogical data can be gathered from the scattered and disconnected references. The only definite information at hand comes from the Rolls of France, from which it is ascertained that Hamo le Chandler, who appears from other circumstances to be of the Wilts family, had safe conduct from England to or through the lordship ofl’Aigle, 1418-19, and that Peter Chaundeler, doubtless a kinsman, had safe conduct to travel to Normandy, 1451-2. We may therefore assume that the family came from l’Aigle. The name was originally le Chaundeler, not de Chaundeler, which is mere mistake of the scribe who so recorded it”.

A one John Chandler was born in England in 1570. His son, also named John, was born in Westminster, London, England in 1600. He went to colonial America where he married Elizabeth (Bassano) Lupo in Virginia in 1627. He had several sons. One such son, Robert Chandler Sr., was born in Elizabeth City, Virginia in 1626. He married Elizabeth Davis and had the following children with her: Elizabeth, Francis, John, Mary, William, and Robert Jr. His son, Robert X. Chandler Jr., was born in Chiskiak Parish, York, Virginia in 1659. He married Elizabeth Palmer and had the following issue with her: Joell, Robert III, Timothy, John, William Martin Sr., and Joseph. His son Joell or Joel was born in St. Peter’s Church, Virginia in 1685. He married Priscilla Mims and had the following children with her: Robert, John, David, Jesse, Timothy, Joel, and Rebecca. His son Robert Chandler was born in Henrico, VA in 1720. He married Partheny Bailey in 1750 and had the following children with her: Bailey, Robert, Parenthy, Janney, Frances, Josiah, Rebecca, Parks, Ryland, Sarah, Pitts, and Issac. His son, Bailey Chandler, was born in Lunenberg, Kent, Virginia in 1751. He married Tabitha Jackson and had the following issue with her: Ann, Athalia, Tabitia, Robert, Abraham, Jane, William, Bailey Jr., and Susannah. His son, Abraham Chandler, was born in Wilkes, North Carolina around 1780. He married twice: Mary Williams Harris and Mary Polly Johnston. He was the father of numerous children: Robert J., Elizabeth H., William Overton Bailey, Mary Ann Manda, Martha Agnes, Cynthia, Samuel Graves Lafayette, Amelia Susanannah America Hazeltine, and Abraham Roan. His son, William Overton Bailey Chandler, was born in Hard Labor Creek, Georgia in 1818. He married Elizabeth Paden and had the following children with her: Georgeianna Ambrose, James Abram, Mary Jane, Lettice Adeline, Henerita C., Thomas Rohen, Christopher Columbus, William Waffled, Margaret D., John Franklin, and Alonzo Wiff. His son, James Abram, was born in McAffies Store, Georgia in 1840. He married Mary Jane Pace and had children with her as follows: Ida A., John William E., Lula Elizabeth, and Edgar James. Edgar James Chandler was born in Texas in 1879. He married Mora K. Rice and had a son with her. This son, Harvey Stephen Chandler was born in Eureka Springs, Arkansas in 1905. In 1923, he married Christine Agnes Branham and had three children with her, including Ed and Mary Jean. His son Ed J. Chandler was born in the 1920s and passed away in the 1920s. He had a daughter named Kitty who was born in the 1960s and married into the Carr family.

Some marriages involving the Chandler last name include:
1) John Chandler married Elizabeth Browne in Aston, Hertford, England in 1559
2) Robert Chandler married Elizabeth White in Rye, Sussex, England in 1609
3) Edward Chandler married Annie Goselin in Wintersham Parish, England in 1623
4) Daniel Chandler married Sarah Keep in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1728
5) Samuel Chandler married Hebzibah Colton in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1726
6) William Chandler married Elener Phelps in Essex, Massachusetts in 1687
7) Josiah Chandler married Mary Blanchard in Leicester, Massachusetts in 1777
8) George W. Chandler married Mary E. Baker in 1869
9) Joseph Chandler married Mary Granger in Dublin, Ireland in 1787
10) Edward Chandler married Elizabeth Falls in Ireland in 1848

Early American and New World Settlers
Some of the earliest known settlers in colonial American (and Canada) bearing this name include:
1) John Chaundler came to Virginia in 1609 aboard the Hercules at the age of 24
2) Roger Chandler (1620)
3) John Chandler (Virginia 1623)
4) Arthur Chandler came to Virginia in 1623 aboard the Jonathan at the age of 19
5) George Chaundler came to Virginia in 1635 aboard the America at the age of 29
6) Sarah Chandler (Baltimore, Maryland 1720)
7) Thomas Bradbury Chandler (New Jersey 1751)
8) Samuel Chandler (Nova Scotia, Canada around 1750)

Several thousand members of the Chandler family came to the United States through Ellis Island, during the nineteenth century, including:
1) Martha Chandler came from Ireland aboard the Abyssinia in 1880
2) Henry Chandler came from England aboard the Republic in 1874
3) Chas Chandler came from England aboard the City of Washington in 1870
4) Charles Chandler came from England aboard the Montreal in 1844
5) Charlotte Chandler came from Barbados aboard the Pretoria in 1905
6) Avah Chandler came from Buenos Aires, Argentina aboard the Beventis in 1893
7) H. H. Chandler came from England aboard the Egypt in 1880
8) James Chandler came from London, England aboard the Adriatic in 1911
9) Jennie Chandler came from Dover, England aboard the Celtic in 1907
10) Robert Chandler came from Paris aboard the La Touraine in 1903

Notables
There are hundreds of notable people with the Chandler surname. This page will mention a handful. Famous people with this last name include:
1) Albert Benjamin Chandler Sr. (1898-1991), nicknamed “Happy”, was the 44^th and 49^th Governor of Kentucky (from 1935-1939 and again from 1955-1959), as well as a US Senator from Kentucky from 1939-1945
2) Albert Benjamin Chandler III (1959) who served as a member of the US House of Representatives from 2004-2013 and was previously the 48^th Attorney General of Kentucky from 2004-2013.
3) Colby Hackett Chandler was the CEO of the Eastman Kodak Company from 1983-1990
4) William Scott Chandler (1985) is a retired professional football right end born in Bedford, Texas who played in the NFL from 2007-2015 for six different teams including the San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills
5) William Eaton Chandler (1835-1917) who was the 30^th US Secretary of the Navy from 1882-1885, as well as a US Senator from New Hampshire from 1889-1901
6) J. Wyeth Chandler (c. 1930-2014) who was the Mayor of Memphis, Tennessee from 1972-1982
7) Elizabeth Margaret Chandler (1807-1834) who was an American writer and poet active in Michigan and Pennsylvania who wrote on the theme of abolition of slavery, born in Centre, Delaware

8) John Chandler (1762-1841) was an American soldier who served in both the American Revolution and the War of 1812 who was a member of the US House of Representatives from Massachusetts from 1805 to 1809, and was a US Senator from Maine from 1820-1829.
9) Theodore Edson Chandler (1894-1945) was a Rear Admiral in the US Navy during World War II who commanded battleship and cruiser divisions in the Atlantic and Pacific fleets, killed in action by a Japanese Kamikaze, born in Annapolis, Maryland, and was also a veteran of World War I
10) Reverend Dr. Edgar H.S. Chandler (1904-1988) was a Congregational Minister and US Navy Chaplain in World War II, born in Providence, Rhode Island, who worked with civil rights leaders such as Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

Chandler American Revolution Veterans
In the Revolutionary War (1775-1783), there were several soldiers with the last name Chandler:
1) Private Dan Chandler of New Hampshire
2) Private Isaac Chandler of Massachusetts
3) Captain Jonathan Chandler of New Hampshire
4) 2^nd Lieutenant Abiel Chandler of New Hampshire
5) Sergeant Benjamin Chandler of New Hampshire
6) Private Samuel Chandler of New Jersey
7) Private Thomas Chandler of Virginia
8) Private William Chandler of Virginia
9) Colonel John Chandler of Connecticut
10) Captain John Chandler of Vermont

Chandler American Civil War Veterans
There were ~3,000 soldiers with the last name Chandler who served in the American Civil War (1861-1865):
1) Elsworth Chandler fought for the Union as part of the 1^st Regiment Iowa Cavalry
2) Ebert N. Chandler fought for the Union as part of the 1^st Regiment Michigan Cavalry
3) Chandler K. Fleming fought for the Union as part of the 10^th Regiment Minnesota Infantry
4) Ichabod W. Chandler fought for the Union as part of the 2^nd Battalion Veteran Reserve Corps
5) James T. Chandler fought for the Union as part of the 9^th Pennsylvania Infantry
6) David W. Chandler fought for the Confederacy as part of the 23^rd Regiment North Carolina Infantry
7) Peter W. Chandler fought for the Confederacy as part of the 3^rd Regiment North Carolina Infantry
8) William K. Chandler fought for the Confederacy as part of the 48^th Regiment Tennessee Infantry
9) Zack Chandler fought for the Confederacy as part of the 7^th Regiment Alabama Cavalry
10) Huel H. Chandler fought for the Confederacy as part of the 26^th Regiment Arkansas Infantry

For more genealogical information about the Chandler family, please see the 1903 publication “The Chandler family: genealogy of a branch” by Anna Maria Pickford. It is available at archive.org.

Blazons & Genealogy Notes

1) (London). Ar. two bendlets sa. betw. five pellets in saltire. Crest—A bull’s head sa. attired ar.
2) (London). Chequy ar. and gu. on a bend sa. three lions pass. or.
3) or Chaundler – Az. a chev. ar. betw. three mascles or.
4) Boston (Etats-Unis) – D’or à la fasce engrelée de gueules acc de trois trèfles de sable Supports deux lions au naturel
5) France – Sceau de Barthelemy C. XVe s (Comm. de E. Salomon) – Parti au 1 de gueules au lion d’argent armé et lampassé du champ tenant de ses pattes une chandelle du second au 2 d’argent à la fasce d’azur acc de trois merlettes de sable Cimier le lion issant