Show ContentsRusse History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

This surname Russe is an ethnic name, a variety of local name. This name translated roughly as "the Russian," and was undoubtedly given to someone who had moved into Germany from Russia at some point in the very early Middle Ages. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another barony would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came.

Early Origins of the Russe family

The surname Russe was first found in Saxony, where the name could be considered to have made a great contribution to the feudal society which became the backbone of modern Europe. The name became prominent in local affairs and branched into many houses which played important roles in the tribal and national conflicts, with groups seeking power and status in an ever changing territorial profile. Chronicles mention Konrad der Ruesse of Esslingen in 1324, C. der Reusse of Franconia in 1272, the knight Arnolt der Ruesse, born in Lahr in 1298, and Jacobus Reuss (Ruthenus) of Bruenn in 1360. Reuss is the name of two former German principalities which were, after 1918, amalgamated into Thuringia.

Early History of the Russe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Russe research. Another 288 words (21 lines of text) covering the years 1120, 1264, 1292, 1571, 1722, 1751, 1778, 1790, 1804, 1806, 1816 and 1891 are included under the topic Early Russe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Russe Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Reussner, Reusener, Reussen, Reussener, Ruse, Russe, Rusener and many more.

Early Notables of the Russe family

Prominent bearers of the family name Russe at this time were Johann August Reuss (b.1751), who was a State advisor and Ministerial Director in the Department of External Affairs at the courts...
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Russe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Russe migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Russe Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Russe, who landed in Virginia in 1642 [1]
Russe Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Bernhard Russe, who sailed to Philadelphia in 1754
Russe Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Lewis Russe, who arrived in Maryland in 1836 [1]
  • Ferdinand Russe, aged 47, who arrived in Missouri in 1840 [1]
  • Jacob Russe, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1848 [1]
  • Anthony Russe, who landed in Virginia in 1884 [1]


  1. 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)


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