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Etymology
There are a large number of synonyms and regional variations of "chav", including "scally", "townie", "ned" "Mallie", "Pikey", and "charva".[3] It has been suggested that "charva" (or "charv") predates "chav" as a dialect word in North East England (where the term would be used in referring to an unruly young mine-worker) and Edinburgh, Scotland, and that "chav" may be a derivative term; they at least appear to share the same possible etymology in the Romani word "chavi" [4]. The Cockney term chavvy for a baby or toddler has been in use for decades and almost certainly derives from "chavi". In some regions, Chavs are referred to as "Burbs", given their association with Burberry clothing. The term "ned" is the widely accepted term commonly used throughout Scotland to describe a "chav" and is sometimes explained as an acronym of "non-educated delinquent". The use of the word "chav" can also be traced to the town of Chatham, Medway in Kent, where the word has been in use for several generations to describe a person on the dole. To be "on the dole" was to be "on the chav". It was a local joke that people from Chatham dressed a certain way and were frequently on the dole, which led to the term "Chatham Chav".

Many folk etymologies have sprung up to explain the origins of the word. These include backronyms such as "Council Housed And Violent" [5] and "Council House Associated Vermin". Another commonly cited false etymology derives from school slang that pupils at Cheltenham Ladies' College supposedly used to describe less desirable young men of the town - "Cheltenham Average" or Ch-av [6], though the article states that few, if any, were aware of this connection in either the school or the town.