Generally speaking Chamberlain as a name means "chief officer of the household". In times gone by it was an administrative post in aristocratic households. It can be interpreted to mean a chief steward, an official of high rank in some royal court; one responsible for the management of a sovereign or noble's household, a treasurer of sorts who as part of the administration of a municipality receives rents and fees and also an honorary papal attendant within the Roman Catholic Church.
The word can be traced from the old English "chauberlein" which was taken from the French "chamberlenc", on its part from the Frankish "kamerling".
Perhaps the most famous or infamous person to have borne this name was Neville Chamberlain. He was the Prime Minister of England during the calm before the storm that broke with the Second World War. Some consider it a blessing for England that the poor man died in 1940 and this gave Winston Churchill the opportunity to lead the country during the years of war that followed.
The word can be traced from the old English "chauberlein" which was taken from the French "chamberlenc", on its part from the Frankish "kamerling".
Perhaps the most famous or infamous person to have borne this name was Neville Chamberlain. He was the Prime Minister of England during the calm before the storm that broke with the Second World War. Some consider it a blessing for England that the poor man died in 1940 and this gave Winston Churchill the opportunity to lead the country during the years of war that followed.