Skip to main content

Updated June 9, 2019

Family name origins & meanings

  • English : habitational name from a place in Kent named Chittenden, probably from an Old English personal name Citta (perhaps a byname derived from cī{dh} ‘shoot’, ‘sprout’) + -ing- denoting association + Old English denn ‘swine pasture’.
  • William Chittenden came from Cranbrook, Kent, England, and settled in Guilford, CT, in 1639. His fourth-generation descendant Thomas Chittenden, born in East Guilford, CT, in 1730, received a grant of land in 1774 in VT, where he was governor, as was his son Martin. Thomas’s other sons each sat in the VT assembly and held various public offices.

Join the Family

Your partner in parenting from baby name inspiration to college planning.

Subscribe