Chevalier

Boy name variations

Family name origins & meanings

• 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.
• A bearer of the name from Anjou is documented in 1656 in Quebec city; and another, from Rouen, is recorded in Montreal in 1670.