"Childe" was originally a title assumed by Norse, French, and English Kings, primarily between the 4th and 10th centuries. The majority of French Kings added "Childe" to the beginning of their name starting in 451 A.D., when the King of Franks adopted the name of Childeric. As the 10th century ended, the title of Childe came to be more known as one given to the eldest son of a noble family, or perhaps an heir to such a family if their was no son.
Lastly, it was a title given to young men of the upper class who were training for knighthood during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Young knights who assumed the surname, beginning around the thirteenth century, generally used the French version, which was le Childe, meaning "the child."