Changuion (pronunciation: [ʃɑ̃ɡɥijɔ̃]) is a surname that originated in the Champagne province in what is now the Marne department in the north-east of France, specifically in the Brie region.   

The surname Changuion may trace its origins to the commune of Champguyon a village in the Brie region of Champagne.[1] The name of this village has evolved over many centuries. Historical records and maps show various spellings, including Campus Guidonis (1161), Champ-Guidonis, Cham-Guion, Changuon (late 13th century), Champguion (1395), Chāguion (see the 1631 map of Champagne below), Changuion (see the 1634 map of the Jurisdiction of Montmirail below), Chamguyon (1735), and even Changuyon (1804).[2] The Latin Campus Guidonis literally translates to “Field of Guido,” referring to land associated with a person named Guido (or Guy). These older forms show how the modern name Champguyon and the surname Changuion could be connected.

One possible origin of the place name Champguyon is from the Old French words champ (meaning “field,” and possibly linked to “Champagne,” the region) and guyon, thought to refer to a large pine wood.[3] The name could therefore mean “a pine forest on open land” or “pine woods of the Champagne plains.” This fits with what we see on old maps of the area, where a large forest is shown near the village.

There is also a surface-level resemblance between Changuion and the French surname Sanguin, which means “of blood” or “full-blooded,” but they likely have different origins.

A 1634 map showing the Jurisdiction of Sézanne, with the commune of Champguyon at the far left of the map, just below the large forest. Source: Tassin. (1634) Les plans et profils de toutes les principales villes et lieux considerables de France. Paris, France.

It is known that a Professor François Changuion was lecturing in the anatomy department of the University of Paris in 1416. There are also mentions of Changuions residing in Toulouse in the early 1500s.[1]

One of the earliest written historical mentions of the surname dates from 1562. A Pierre Changuion was named as one of a group of Protestants that were attacked on 1 March 1562 during a church service in Wassy by Roman Catholic troops of the Duke of Guise.  His house, which was next to the barn where the church service was held, was completely ransacked.[2] This Pierre was to become the ancestor of the Dutch branches and the South African branch of the Changuion family.