Chamberlin
A surname that most likely began as a status or occupational name tied to a chamberlain or household chamber worker.
The #3,595 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 31,196 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Chamberlin is usually treated as a variant of Chamberlain, from Old French and Anglo-Norman words for a chamber attendant or household officer. The older sense ultimately goes back to terms meaning a person connected with a chamber or private room, especially in a noble or royal household. In some traditions the name was also linked more loosely to someone who worked in a chamber or indoor room, rather than to the high-ranking court office specifically.
History
The surname appears in medieval and post-medieval records in several spellings, including Chamberlin and Chamberline, reflecting the instability of surname spelling before standardization. In English-speaking countries it has generally been grouped with Chamberlain, though local spellings sometimes became fixed as separate family names. The name is well established in Britain and North America, where it survives as a relatively uncommon but familiar surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root behind Chamberlin also lies behind the medieval office title chamberlain, so the surname can point to a household official rather than to a room itself.
From the historical record
“Bliiabeth Charobierlen : ibid. p. loa. Grace Chamberlin : ibid. p. loo. Edward Chamberline : ibid. p. 90. Alice Chamberljm : ibid. p. 309.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)