The Rathbun surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,467 people carried this name — #5,381 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 45,700 people counted. About the same as in 2000 (6,438).

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Rathbun surname

from Middle English rath (Old English hræth) ‘eager, swift’ + bon (Old English bān) ‘bone’, specifically here the leg bone. In some instances the name was recorded with bayn (Old Norse beinn) ‘bone, leg’ in place of native English ban(e). This form of the surname is now rare in Britain.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Rathbun» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In print

Rathbun in American newspapers,
1901–1907.

Newspaper page from Fergus County Democrat carrying the name Rathbun
Fergus County Democrat 1907-07-23
Newspaper page from The Billings Gazette carrying the name Rathbun
The Billings Gazette 1901-11-15
Newspaper page from The Billings Gazette carrying the name Rathbun
The Billings Gazette 1901-11-12

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 30,109 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Rathbun in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1940s.

100 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Rathbun. The most, 41, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Tasmania, at 8.2 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Tasmania 56
New South Wales 25
Queensland 6
Victoria 5
Western Australia 5
ACT (Canberra) 2
South Australia 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Rathbun.

Who carried it

People named Rathbun,
with a public archive behind them.

  • George O. Rathbun
    George O. Rathbun 1802–1870 · lawyer
  • Richard Rathbun
    Richard Rathbun 1852–1918 · naturalist
  • Edward Walter Rathbun
    Edward Walter Rathbun 1865–1940 · businessperson
  • Nelson Rathbun 1814– · politician
  • Dwight W. Rathbun 1829– · politician
  • Franklin Root Rathbun 1837–1911 · drafter

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Rathbun,
in the records of 4 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States541 records

541 records of the Rathbun name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 236
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 136
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 93
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 58
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 8
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 5
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 3
  • New York State police and firefighter memorial rolls 1
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Falex H. Rathbun

    Born 1915 in Iowa. Enlisted 1942 at Little Rock, Arkansas; plumber from Washington County, Arkansas. Veteran of World War II; died 1972, buried at Fayetteville National Cemetery, Arkansas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Gary Allen Rathbun

    Born 1940; from Cosmos, Minnesota. U.S. Army, military police; killed in action 1967 in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Rathbun

    Arrived at New York in 1883 aboard the Celtic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 31; merchant.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 541 records for Rathbun in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada28 records

28 records of the Rathbun name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 23
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 2
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Harriet Ann Rathbun

    Died 1871 in Lighthouse Bluff, Kings, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Mary Dinah Rathbun

    Died 1930; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Earl Horace Rathbun

    Died in service in 1944.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 28 records for Rathbun in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Australia7 records

7 records of the Rathbun name in Australia Tasmanian Names Index
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Ailsa Lucy Rathbun

    Died 1906 in High St, Sandy Bay, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Ward King Rathbun

    Married 1899 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 34.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Anne Catherine Rathbun

    Will registered in Tasmania in 1933.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Rathbun in Australia.

Counts: Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

New Zealand5 records

5 records of the Rathbun name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Eileen Anne Rathbun

    Died 1980, aged 70; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Cecil Boris Rathbun

    Died 1944, aged 35; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Percy Basil Rathbun

    Died 1980, aged 74; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Rathbun in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Rathbun.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Rathbun is.
A volume says what happened to it.

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