Rasmussen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Denmark
Germany

The surname Rasmussen is a patronymic name derived from the German personal name Erasmus (which in turn was derived from the Latinized form of the Greek word "erasmos," meaning love), borne by an early Christian saint. 1 Generally, many of the family evolved the name to Rasmussen in Denmark. The suffix '-sen' is translatable as 'son of.'

Rasmussen Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Rasmussen, Rasmusen, Asmussen, Rasmus, Asmus, Erasmus and many more.

Early Notables of the Rasmussen family

Jesper Rasmussen Brochmand (1585-1652) was a Danish Lutheran clergyman, theologian and professor who served as Bishop of the Diocese of Zealand...

Rasmussen Ranking

In the United States, the name Rasmussen is the 971^st most popular surname with an estimated 29,844 people with that name. 2 However, in New Zealand, the name Rasmussen is ranked the 791^st most popular surname with an estimated 919 people with that name. 3

Rasmussen migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rasmussen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Truls Rasmussen, aged 31, who landed in New York, NY in 1843 4
Soren Rasmussen, who arrived in Texas in 1850-1906 4
Hansing Rasmussen, who landed in New York, NY in 1850 4
Claus Rasmussen, who settled in New York on the steamship Schiller in 1875
Peter C Fio Rasmussen, who landed in Mississippi in 1875 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rasmussen Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Albert Rasmussen, who arrived in Mississippi in 1902 4
Christian Rasmussen, who landed in Alabama in 1924 4

Rasmussen migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Rasmussen Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Maren Rasmussen, aged 22, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Halcione" in 1870 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Rasmussen (post 1700) +

Carmen Rasmussen (b. 1985), Canadian-American singer
Dennis Rasmussen (b. 1959), American Major League Baseball pitcher
Bruce Rasmussen (b. 1961), American television producer
Blair Rasmussen (b. 1962), American former professional basketball player
Alis Rasmussen (b. 1958), American writer known by the name Kate Elliott
Hugo Rasmussen (1941-2015), Danish bassist, best known for his 1978 album Sweets to the Sweet
Knud Johan Victor Rasmussen (1879-1933), Danish explorer
Brigadier John Herbert Rasmussen (1902-1952), Australian Director-General of Army Public Relations from 1944 to 1945 6
Scott Rasmussen, co-founder of the sports television network ESPN and polling company Rasmussen Reports
Egil Rasmussen (1903-1964), Norwegian author, literature critic and musician
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Rasmussen family +

RMS Titanic

Mrs. Lena Jakobsen Rasmussen (d. 1912), (née Solvang), aged 62, Norwegian Third Class passenger from Haugesund, Rogaland who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 7

USS Arizona

Mr. Arthur Severin Rasmussen, American Carpenter's Mate First Class from California, 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 8

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, August 30) John Rasmussen. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Rasmussen/John_Herbert/Australia.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html