Daily Ancestorchn.
Chn. is short for children, as in his wife and chn. in a record listing a family.
Chn. abbreviates children. Ch. is less clear: it can mean child or children, but also church. Chn. shows up in church membership lists, passenger lists and abstracts of wills, often as wife and 4 chn.
A count of chn. without names still helps: compare it with the next census to see who was born, who died and who left home.
As seen in a recordEntry in a church membership roll
Jno. Kerr, wife and 4 chn.
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "chn.." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/abbreviations/chn. Last checked 2026-10-01.