Frequency: (1175)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
Southern French: variant of Chevalier (meaning ‘knight’, ‘rider’).
FOREBEARS: A family Cavelier or Lecavelier, from Normandy, France, had settled in Montreal by 1654. There are also Huguenot bearers (among whom it is also spelled Cavalear) who came to VA by way of London.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
