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Rector History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Rector History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The prominent surname Rector was first found in England in the 16th century but traced its early origin to the country of France. Rector was originally associated with the Huguenots, many of whom left France in the 16th and 17th centuries, in order to escape religious persecution. England, which was a Protestant country, was thought to be more accepting of religious differences.

Early Origins of the Rector family

The surname Rector was first found in Kent where this Huguenot family, originally Ricquart or Ricard, migrated to the west and settled at Combe in the county of Hereford.

We would be remiss is we did not pass along this quote: "About 1620, one Ricketts of NewBerry, a practitioner in physick, was excellent at curing of children with swoln heads and small legges; and the disease being new, and without a name, he being so famous for the cure of it, they called the disease the ricketts; as the King's evill from the King's curing of it with his touch; and now 'tis good sport to see how they vex their lexicons, and fetch it from the Greek Paxc, the back-bone." 1

The source goes on to note that the disease was give name by Dr. Glisson on the first appearance of the disease. Dr. Glisson was a contemporary of and probably knew Mr. Ricketts.

"During the 17th and 18th centuries a family of the name of Ricketts resided in North Leach [Gloucestershire]." 2

Early History of the Rector family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rector research. Another 220 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1478, 1606, 1628, 1641, 1655, 1659, 1665, 1694, 1700, 1718 and 1760 are included under the topic Early Rector History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rector Spelling Variations

Huguenot surnames were only slightly Anglicized, and they remain to this day a distinct group of surnames in England. Nevertheless, Huguenot surnames have been subject to numerous spelling alterations since the names emerged in France. French surnames have a variety of spelling variations because the French language has changed drastically over the centuries. French was developed from the vernacular Latin of the Roman Empire. It is divided into three historic and linguistic periods: Old French, which developed before the 14th century; Middle French, which was used between the 14th and 16th centuries; and Modern French, which was used after the 16th century and continues to be in use today. In all of these periods, the French language was heavily influenced by other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when the barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. Huguenot names have numerous variations. The name may be spelled Ricket, Rickett, Reckitt, Ricketts, Reckitts and others.

Early Notables of the Rector family

Notable in the family at this time was Robert Ricart (fl. 1478), English town clerk of Bristol, lay brother of the fraternity of the Kalendars, an ancient guild attached to the church of All Saints, Bristol. 3Sir Paul Ricaut or Rycaut (1628-1700), was an English traveller and author, was born at The Friary, his father's seat at Aylesford in Kent. His...
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rector Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rector Ranking

In the United States, the name Rector is the 2,089^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 4

Rector migration to the United States +

Study of Passenger and Immigration lists has revealed that among early immigrants bearing the Rector surname were:

Rector Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Frederick Charles Rector, aged 30, who landed in Texas in 1829 5
Ole Rector, who arrived in Arkansas in 1892 5
Geo. Rector, aged 17, who immigrated to America, in 1894

Rector Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Charles Rector, aged 61, who settled in America, in 1905
Emma Rector, aged 40, who landed in America, in 1905
Annette Rector, who landed in America, in 1907
Josephine Rector, who immigrated to the United States, in 1908
James A. Rector, aged 22, who settled in America, in 1908
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rector migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Rector Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Charles Rector, English convict from Southampton, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on February 22, 1834, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Rector (post 1700) +

Hartman Rector Jr. (1924-2018), American general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1968-2018)
Ronald S. Rector (1944-1968), American NFL football running back
Liam Rector (1949-2007), American poet, essayist and educator
Jeff Rector (b. 1958), American actor, best known for his roles in Fatal Kiss (2002) and Revamped (2007)
James Ward Rector (1903-1979), American jurist from Wisconsin
Jamaica Rector (b. 1981), American-born, Canadian CFL football wide receiver
Henry Massey Rector (1816-1899), American politician, the 6th Governor of the state of Arkansas
Enoch J. Rector (1863-1957), American boxing film promoter
Anne Elizabeth Rector (1899-1970), American artist and autho
John "James" Alcorn Rector (1884-1949), American silver medalist athlete at the 1908 Summer Olympics
... (Another 23 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Rector family +

USS Arizona

Mr. Clay Cooper Rector, American Storekeeper Third Class from Kentucky, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 7

The Rector Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Quid verum atque decens
Motto Translation: What is true and honorable.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1834 with 230 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1834
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html