Bill Crant

Excerpt from Dr. Seary's, Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, MUN 1977.

CHAPMAN, a surname of England, Scotland and Ireland, from Old English ceapmann - merchant, trader. See also CHATMAN, CHIPMAN, CHIPP. (Reaney).

Chapman was found widespread by Guppy, in Devon by Spiegelhalter, mainly in the Lothians and Perthshire by Black, and in all provinces except Connacht by MacLysaght.

In Newfoundland:

Early instances: John, of St. John's, 1681 (CO 1); James, of Battle Harbour (Labrador), 1795 (MUN Hist.); Patrick, of St. John's, 1822 (CO 194.65); Ben-jamin, of Harbour Breton, 1828 (DPHW 109); John, of Twillingate, 1828 (Newfoundlander 11 Sep 1828); Stephen, of Keels, 1835 (DPHW 73); George B., of Carbonear, died 1844 (Newfoundlander 18 Jul 1844); John, member of the Board of Road Commissioners for the Harbour Breton to Connaigre Bay and Hermitage Cove area, 1844 (Nfld. Almanac); William, of Castle Cove (Bonavista B.), 1845 (DPHW 73A); Rev. John, of Harbour Grace, 1847, died at Bidale (Yorkshire), 1851 (weekly Herald 30 Apr 1851, Newfoundlander 25 Nov 1847); John, agent at Jersey Harbour, 1850 (DPHW 104); Charles, fisherman of Burin, 1871 (Lovell); George, planter of Rencontre, 1871 (Lovell); James (and others), fishermen of Spaniards Bay, 1871 (Lovell).

Modern status: At St. John's, and scattered in the South Coast districts.

Early Instances: