Jaques Chastain was born about 1595/1600 and married Jeanne Audet before 1625 when their son Estienne was born. Jacques died before 1675. His father or grandfather may have been named Estienne Chastain. Information per Pierre Chastain and his Descendants.
There has been some recent discussion that our Chastain line could descend from the prestigious and royal Chasteigner family. A direct line would be very difficult if not impossible to prove due to the fact that line originated between 1200-1500 when documents were not available in France. See https://www.igenea.com/en/surnames/c/chasten for more information on similar names.
The last name Chasten is a common English surname with roots traceable to the Old French verb chasteigner which translates to “to chastise.” It is believed that the name was originally given to someone who was particularly pious or religious and was used as a name of endearment. Modern variants of Chasten include: Chastin, Chaston, Chasten, Chastin, and Chastain. The French spelling would be Chastain, and many American families with the surname also held the spelling Chastaine.
While this does not prove a direct lineage from our French Chastain family to the Chasteigner family, it does indicate that the variants of the name may have come from the same original name.
