Rabert History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Rabert

What does the name Rabert mean?

The name Rabert came to England with the ancestors of the Rabert family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the given name Robert, which is adapted from the Norman personal name Radbode. This latter name is composed of the Germanic elements rad, meaning counsel or advice, and bodo, meaning message or tidings.

Early Origins of the Rabert family

The surname Rabert was first found in Suffolk where "this ancient family who have resided at Bramfield for several centuries, claim a Norman descent." 1 Following the Norman descent deeper, we found "Hugh Rabace in Normandy 1180-95 and Gerard Rabes there in 1198." 2 However, the family was clearly in England about the same time: "Robert Rabaz gave Kenilworth or Chillingworth Church, Northamptonshire to De la Pré Abbey, which gift was confirmed by Henry II. [his reign: 5 March 1133-6 July 1189]" 2 St. Andrew's Church, Bramfield is a 13th century church which has ledger slabs of members of the Rabett and Nelson families.

Early History of the Rabert family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rabert research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1298, 1313, 1316 and 1467 are included under the topic Early Rabert History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rabert Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Rabbit, Rabett, Rabit, Rabbitt and others.

Early Notables of the Rabert family

Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rabert Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Rabert family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Rabert name or one of its variants: Thomas Rabbetts, a bonded passenger who came to America in 1753; Michael Rabbit who settled in Philadelphia in 1851; and John Rabbit, who arrived in Indiana sometime between 1853 and 1855..

Contemporary Notables of the name Rabert (post 1700) +

Chester A. Rabert, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from West Virginia, 1908 3

Sources +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html