An English surname, Chase comes from the Old French term of ‘chacier’ which means to hunt, catch or seize. The original Latin form was ‘captare’. Variations in spelling Chase include Chacey, Chasie, Chases, Chace, Chasey and Chaises. Norfolk, the city of London, Suffolk, Hampshire, Sussex and Middlesex counties are where most the Chase families have traditionally lived in England. In Scotland the numbers are mainly in West Lothian, Lanarkshire and Ayrshire. In the United States the Chase surname is mostly in Massachusetts, New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Maryland Maine, New Hampshire and California. Famous: Chevy Chase (comedian, actor and writer), Jonathan Chase (colonel in the American Revolutionary War), Lucia Chase (co-founder of the American Ballet Theatre), Martha Chase (proved genes make up one’s DNA), Qiana Chase (model), Samuel Chase (signer of the US Declaration of Independence) and Mary Chase (playwright).