A French, Scottish and English surname, Chaney comes from the Latin term ‘casnetum’ and the Old French term ‘chesnai’ which meant an oak grove or clustering of oak trees. The spelling variations for Chaney include Chasney, Chene, Chesney, Cheeny, Cheyney, Keynes, Cheney and Cheyne. In England the early Chaney families lived in Buckinghamshire. From there over the centuries the Chaney families spread to the southeastern and central regions. Most settled in Norfolk, Essex, Kent, Middlesex and the city of London. Within the United States the Chaney surname first started in Virginia, Maryland, Maine, Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Famous: Norman “Chubby” Chaney (child actor in early movies), Leonidas “Lon” Chaney (early movie actor), Creighton Tull “Lon” Chaney (movie actor for mostly horror films), Esty Chaney (professional baseball player), Richard “Dick” Chaney (U. S. Vice President), Darrel Chaney (professional baseball player), George “KO” Chaney (professional boxer), James M. Chaney (Dallas police officer on Nov. 22, 1963 with the Kennedy motorcade and only 10 feet away when President Kennedy was shot), John Chaney (professional basketball player) and John Griffith Chaney (birth name of author Jack London).