The Roebuck surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,100 people carried this name — #6,638 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 57,800 people counted. That is up 3% from 4,952 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Roebuck surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a nickname: ‘the roebuck’ — the first of the origins he gives.

An early record he cites: Thomas Rabuk, Lincolnshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 651 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Roebuck was found among the farmers of Yorkshire, West Riding: 13 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Yorkshire, West Riding 13

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In print

Roebuck in American newspapers,
1906–1928.

Newspaper page from The Milwaukee Leader carrying the name Roebuck
The Milwaukee Leader 1928-08-29
Newspaper page from The Milwaukee Leader carrying the name Roebuck
The Milwaukee Leader 1928-03-23
Newspaper page from The Mirror And Farmer carrying the name Roebuck
The Mirror And Farmer 1906-01-11

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 89,581 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Roebuck in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

18,631 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Roebuck. The most, 4,697, 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 Queensland, at 2.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 9,096
New South Wales 3,531
Victoria 2,238
South Australia 2,094
Tasmania 1,348
Western Australia 286
ACT (Canberra) 17
Northern Territory 14

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

Who carried it

People named Roebuck,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Arthur Roebuck
    Arthur Roebuck 1878–1971 · politician
  • Benjamin Roebuck 1712–1796
  • John Roebuck 1718–1794 · physician
  • Ebenezer Roebuck 1719–1771
  • Abraham Roebuck 1754–1788
  • William Denison Roebuck 1851–1919 · malacologist

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 Roebuck,
in the records of 6 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 States442 records

442 records of the Roebuck name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 199
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 74
  • Other U.S. records 169
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Robert Lennon Roebuck

    Born 1949; from Knoxville, Tennessee. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1969 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam. Buried at Knoxville National Cemetery, Tennessee.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record John M. Roebuck

    Born 1924 in South Carolina. Enlisted 1943 at Fort Benning, Georgia; porter from Fulton County, Georgia. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1965, buried at Marietta National Cemetery, Georgia.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Alfred Roebuck

    Arrived at New York in 1884 aboard the Furnessia from Glasgow, aged 42; farmer. From Boxton, England.

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

Showing 3 of 442 records for Roebuck in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · 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, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia237 records

237 records of the Roebuck name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 97
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 74
  • Other Australian records 66
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Henry Roebuck

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Moffatt, sailing from Woolwich in 1837. Native of Sheffield, Yorkshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1843. Married 1843 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 25.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Arthur Roebuck

    Arrived in Victoria in 1889 aboard the Liguria, aged 27; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Joseph Roebuck

    Foreman scourer of Ivanhoe, Victoria; died 1957.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 237 records for Roebuck in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada32 records

32 records of the Roebuck name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 25
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 2
  • Other Canadian records 5
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wm Roebuck

    Came to Ontario in 1871 aboard the Scan, landing at Quebec, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Ralph Roebuck

    Died 1917 in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Thomas Roebuck

    Died 1968; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 32 records for Roebuck in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom15 records

15 records of the Roebuck name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 14
  • Stirling Council burial records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Gwendolen Roebuck

    Died 1965, aged 79; buried at Dunblane Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Roebuck

    Cheshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. R. Roebuck

    York and Lancaster Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 15 records for Roebuck in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand2 records

2 records of the Roebuck 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 Phoebe Roebuck

    Died 1908, aged 72; buried at Linwood 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 William Roebuck

    Died 1896, aged 69; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

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).

France2 records

2 records of the Roebuck name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Iris Angele Roebuck

    Born 1911 in India; died 1993 in Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marguerite Adele Roebuck

    Born 1919 in India; died 1998 in La Seyne-sur-Mer (Var).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Roebuck.

When the index is not enough

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

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