Chestnut

Chestnut
This most interesting name, although a rare English surname, is of Old French origin. It is a topographical name for "a dweller by the chestnut tree", from the Middle English "chesteine", from the Old French "chastaigne", ultimately deriving from the Greek "kastanea", meaning "nut of Castanaea", and in the modern sense means "chestnut". This was also found as "chester nut" in Middle English, while it was spelt "chesnut" until the early 19th Century. Topographical surnames were among the earliest created, since both natural and man-made features in the landscape provided easily recognisable distinguishing names in the small communities of the Middle Ages. Early recordings of the surname include the marriage of Archibald Chestnut and Judith Funderil, on May 13th 1758, at Trinity Church Parish in New York; the christening of John, son of Richard and Jane Chesnutt, on May 25th 1760, at York Springs Adam in Pennsylvania; while James, son of Thomas Chesnut, was christened in 1764, at Renshaw Street in Liverpool. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Adam Chasteyn, which was dated 1279, in the "Cambridgeshire Hundred Rolls", during the reign of Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Chestnut — steht für Chestnut Canoe Company, kanadischer Kanuhersteller von 1904 1979 den Familiennamen folgender Personen: Cyrus Chestnut (* 1963), US amerikanischer Jazz Pianist Morris Chestnut (* 1969), US amerikanischer Schauspieler mehrere Orte in den… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • chestnut — 1560s, from chesten nut (1510s), from M.E. chasteine, from O.Fr. chastain (12c., Mod.Fr. chátaigne), from L. castanea chestnut, chestnut tree, from Gk. kastaneia, which the Greeks thought meant either nut from Castanea in Pontus, or nut from… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Chestnut — Chest nut, n. [For chesten nut; OE. chestein, chesten, chastein, chestnut, fr. AS. cisten in cistenbe[ a]m chestnut tree, influenced by OF. chastaigne, F. ch[^a]taigne, both the AS. and the F. words coming from L. castanea a chestnut, Gr. ?, fr.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • chestnut — ► NOUN 1) a glossy hard brown nut which develops within a bristly case and can be roasted and eaten. 2) (also sweet chestnut or Spanish chestnut) the large tree that produces these nuts. 3) a deep reddish brown colour. 4) a horse of a reddish… …   English terms dictionary

  • Chestnut — Chest nut, a. Of or pertaining of a chestnut; of a reddish brown color; as, chestnut curls. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • chestnut — [ches′nut΄, chest′nut΄] n. [< chesten nut < ME chesteine < OFr chastaigne < L castanea < Gr kastaneia] 1. the smooth shelled, sweet, edible nut of any of a genus (Castanea) of trees of the beech family 2. the tree that it grows on… …   English World dictionary

  • Chestnut — For other uses of chestnut , see Chestnut (disambiguation). For other uses of chinquapin or chinkapin , see Chinquapin (disambiguation). Chestnut Sweet Chestnut Castanea sativa Scientific clas …   Wikipedia

  • chestnut — chestnutty, adj. /ches nut , neuht/, n. 1. any of the several deciduous trees constituting the genus Castanea, of the beech family, having toothed, oblong leaves and bearing edible nuts enclosed in a prickly bur, and including C. dentata… …   Universalium

  • chestnut — [[t]tʃe̱snʌt[/t]] chestnuts 1) N COUNT A chestnut or chestnut tree is a tall tree with broad leaves. → See also horse chestnut 2) N COUNT Chestnuts are the reddish brown nuts that grow on chestnut trees. You can eat chestnuts. 3) COLOUR Something …   English dictionary

  • chestnut — chest|nut [ tʃes,nʌt ] noun 1. ) count a large smooth red brown nut that you can eat: roast chestnuts chestnut stuffing 2. ) chestnut or chestnut tree count a tall tree with large wide leaves that produces chestnuts a ) uncount the wood of a… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • chestnut — /ˈtʃɛsnʌt / (say chesnut) noun 1. the edible nut of trees of the genus Castanea, of the beech family. 2. any of the trees, as C. sativa (Spanish chestnut), C. dentata (American chestnut), or C. crenata (Japanese chestnut). 3. Obsolete → Moreton… …  

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