Contents [hide]

Raab History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Raab History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Scotland
Ireland
England

History reveals the roots of the Raab family name in the ancient Strathclyde people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. The Raab name is derived from the personal name Robert, which is composed of the elements hrod, meaning famous, and berht, meaning bright. 1 2

Early Origins of the Raab family

The surname Raab was first found in Stirlingshire, but we must look to Aberdeen to find one of the more interesting entries, that of Beatriux and Issobell Robie (Robye) who were listed as witches in 1597 which was not that unusual of the religious conflicts of that time. 3

Jok Robb was a voter in Monkland in 1519 and Nicholas Rob was a witness in Dumfriesshire in 1542. John Rob was a witness in Glasgow in 1551 and 1554. 3

While the name is traditionally Scottish, to the south in England early records were also found. Richard Robbe, Robe was found in the Pipe Rolls for Sussex in 1177-1178 and Richard Robbe was found in Somerset in 1212. Later, Simon Robes was listed in 1319 and Adam Robbes was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1327. 4

Early History of the Raab family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Raab research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1542, 1551, 1554, 1646, 1688, 1709, 1713, 1740, 1753 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Raab History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Raab Spelling Variations

Prior to the first dictionaries, scribes spelled words according to sound. This, and the fact that Scottish names were repeatedly translated from Gaelic to English and back, contributed to the enormous number of spelling variations in Scottish names. Raab has been spelled Robb, Robbie, Roby, Robe, MacRobbie, MacRobb and others.

Early Notables of the Raab family

Notable amongst the family at this time was James Robe (1688-1753), Scottish Presbyterian divine, son of Michael Robe, minister of Cumbernauld. He studied at Glasgow University, and was licensed by the presbytery of Linlithgow in 1709. In 1713...
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Raab Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Raab Ranking

In the United States, the name Raab is the 7,732^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Raab family to Ireland

Some of the Raab family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Raab migration to the United States +

In such difficult times, the difficulties of raising the money to cross the Atlantic to North America did not seem so large compared to the problems of keeping a family together in Scotland. It was a journey well worth the cost, since it was rewarded with land and freedom the Scots could not find at home. The American War of Independence solidified that freedom, and many of those settlers went on to play important parts in the forging of a great nation. Among them:

Raab Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Balthaser Raab went to Philadelphia in 1754
Balthaser Raab, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1754 6
Joh Georg Raab, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1754 6
Conrad Raab, who arrived in New York, NY in 1782 6

Raab Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Catherine Raab, aged 52, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 6
Elizabeth Raab, aged 25, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 6
Heindrick Raab, aged 25, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 6
Maria Raab, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 6
Lucas Raab, who landed in Ohio in 1854 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Raab (post 1700) +

Jennifer J. Raab, American academic, 13th and current President of Hunter College of the City University of New York
Selwyn Raab (b. 1934), American author and former investigative reporter for The New York Times
Benjamin "Ben" Raab, American comic book writer and editor
Alexander Raab (1882-1958), Hungarian-born, American pianist and distinguished piano teacher
Michael Raab (b. 1982), American butterfly swimmer
William Edward Raab (1891-1968), American politician, Mayor of Normal, Illinois, 1952-60 7
W. Arthur Raab, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1988 7
Julius C. Raab, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Jersey, 1944 7
Henry Raab, American Democratic Party politician, Illinois superintendent of public instruction, 1883-87, 1891-95; Alternate Delegate to Gold Democrat National Convention from Illinois, 1896 7
Eugene Raab, American Republican politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1996 7
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Raab family +

Bismarck

Erich Raab (1914-1941), German Bootsmaat who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 8

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details