Raben History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Raben family

The surname Raben was first found in Dorset. A variety of spelling were first used upon their arrival to England including Raband, Rabayne and Roboin. "The family of De Rabayne came from Saintonge, Acquitaine, where it possessed the marquisate of Piscay. The castle of Rabaine still remains. The family was of eminence in 1018 (Des Bois)." 1

"The first who was of much note in England was Elias de Rabayne, a good soldier in the Gascon war of 1251, and high in favour with Henry III. In 1255 the King committed to him "the corpus of the Castle of Corfe during pleasure, saving to the King the warren, forest, and all other things pertaining to the Castle, outside the walls thereof." Considerable privileges were attached to this office, which the new Constable enforced and extended with such vigour that his aggrieved neighbours were driven to seek redress in the law courts. " 2

"Peter de Rabayne held Litde Pidele at his death in 1272; and 'Petrus de Roboin' is incontestably entered in the Testa de Nevill as holding Waybayouse of the King. 3 He was also possessed of Edmondesham, where he granted an annuity to John Beauboys (Bello Bosco) and his heirs. In 1316, Matilda de Rabayne was Lady of Edmondesham; but of her or her marriage we hear nothing more." 2

Later, Gloucestershire would be another home to the family as here Raban the Englishman, gave land to the church of St. Peter in Gloucester in 1150.

Early History of the Raben family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Raben research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1622 and 1658 are included under the topic Early Raben History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Raben Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Raban, Raben, de Raban, de Raben, Rabyn and others.

Early Notables of the Raben family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Edward Raban (died 1658), English-born, printer in Aberdeen who was said to have been a native of Worcestershire. While there is no...
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Raben Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Raben migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Raben or a variant listed above were:

Raben Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Christian Raben, who arrived in Indiana in 1852 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Raben (post 1700) +

D. H. Raben, American politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 8th District, 1909-10 5
Raben Schenk (b. 1915), chemical engineer and a business executive

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html