CHATER

Origins of the surname Chater are firmly English. The name is believed to have been derived from a Middle English word chater, meaning “to chatter” or “to talk rapidly”. As an occupational surname it may have originally been given as a nickname for a talkative or gossipy individual, whose lively conversations were a distinctive feature of their character.

Historical records from the early thirteenth century also indicate an alternate derivation. In Anglo‑Norman French the term acatour meant “a buyer for a house”, and records such as Robert le Achatour of 1229 in the Rolls of the Abbey of Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, attest to this usage. Variants such as Elias le Katur (1271) and William le Chatur (1220) appear in court and piperecords, showing that the name was in regular use and had already begun to be passed down hereditarily.

Another line of evidence points to a derivation from the Old English words ceaster and ceodel. The former means “a fortified place”, suggesting that the surname could have been adopted by someone associated with a castle or walled town, or who worked at such a site. The latter translates as “cottage”, and satisfies an alternative explanation that early bearers of the surname were people dwelling in cottages. Both possibilities have been preserved in the numerous spellings that have appeared in historic documents.

Over the centuries the spelling of Chater has evolved. Variations recorded include Cater, Cator, Chatees, Chaytor, Cheadle, Chatter, Chatte, Chatterley, Chadderton, Chaderton and Chaterly. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 and the poll tax returns of 1379 contain several of these forms, confirming the name’s persistence and fluidity in spelling.

The surname remains chiefly associated with the United Kingdom, where the concentration of people bearing the name is greatest in London, Surrey and Kent. Outside the UK it can be found in Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and France, Belgium and Switzerland, as well as eastern European countries such as Ukraine, Moldova, Poland and Romania. In the United States the earliest record dates to 1635, when Thomas Chater arrived in Massachusetts; from there the name spread across New England, New York and the Midwest.

While the surname Chater is relatively uncommon, it is recognisable worldwide and many modern bearers of the name trace their ancestry back to the British Isles, particularly England. Those who carry the name are often proud of their family history and place a strong value on keeping it alive across generations.

Typical given names associated with the Chater surname

Male

• Andrew
• Christopher
• David
• Ian
• John
• Kevin
• Mark
• Michael
• Paul
• Philip
• Robert
• Russell
• Stephen

Female

• Christine
• Elizabeth
• Helen
• Jacqueline
• Karen
• Margaret
• Mary
• Rachel
• Sarah
• Susan

Similar and related surnames

Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.

How to communicate the surname Chater in...

Braille

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Morse

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Semaphore

Famous people named Chater

• Gordon Chater - Actor (1922 to 1999)
• Arthur Reginald Chater - Royal Marines general (1896 to 1979)
• David Chater - Television news correspondent

Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.

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