Rauber History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The ancestral home of the Rauber family is in the German province of Bavaria. Rauber is a German nickname surname. Such names came from eke-names, or added names, that described their initial bearer through reference to a physical characteristic or other attribute. It is a name for a shaggy or unkempt person, stemming from the German word "rauch," meaning "rough, hairy." As with many early names such as this, the reference was often in jest. More likely, the origin is in reference to the smoke generated by smithies and thereby would be a trade name. The name was translated to English when the first settlers immigrated to North America, giving rise to such variations as "Smoak" or "Smoke."

Early Origins of the Rauber family

The surname Rauber was first found in Bavaria, where the name was anciently associated with the tribal conflicts of the area. Literally, the name refers to the smoke generated by smithies. For instance, a smith in Zurich was known as "Meister Roeuchli," literally "Mister Smoke," around 1468. The various branches of the Rauch and Raeuchlin families declared allegiances to many nobles and princes of early history, lending their influence in struggles for power and status within the region.

Early History of the Rauber family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rauber research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1522, 1740, 1743, 1745, 1808 and 1814 are included under the topic Early Rauber History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rauber Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Rauber include Raucher, Rauche, Raeuchlin, Reuchlin, Raeuchle, Rauck, Raucker, Raucke, Rauk, Rauker, Rauke, Smoak, Smoke, Ruch and many more.

Early Notables of the Rauber family

Prominent among members of the name Rauber in this period include Johannes Reuchlin (1455-1522), who was, together with his friend Erasmus, the driving force behind the German Renaissance. He began as a lawyer in the service of the Duke of Wuerttemberg, became a judge of...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rauber Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rauber migration to the United States +

Thousands of German settlers came to North America between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries. The hardships of the long voyage were balanced by the opportunity to escape poverty and religious persecution. The descendents of these settlers still populate the states of Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. Many also live in Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Rauber or a variant listed above:

Rauber Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Rauber, who landed in St Clair County, Illinois in 1854 1
Johann Heinrich Christoph Rauber, who arrived in America in 1854 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Rauber (post 1700) +

Val Rauber, American politician, Candidate for New York State Senate 51st District, 1956 2
Charles S. Rauber, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for New York, 1908; Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1912 2
Karl-Josef Rauber (1934-2023), German cardinal of the Catholic Church, papal nuncio from 1982 until his retirement in 2009

Citations +

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 2016, January 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html