Show ContentsRasmusen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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  • Denmark
Rasmusen Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Rasmusen

What does the name Rasmusen mean?

The surname Rasmusen 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.'

Erasmus is a notable forename that dates back to Erasmus of Formia, also known as Saint Elmo (died c. 303), a Christian saint and martyr. This saint gave rise to the forename in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries including: Erasmus of Lueg, the 15th century renowned robber baron; Erasmus Grasser (c. 1450-c. 1515), the German master builder and sculptor; Erasmus Reinhold (1511-1553), the German astronomer and mathematician; Erasmus Finx (1627-1694), also known as Erasmus Francisci, the German polymath, author, and writer; and later in England, Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802), English physician and poet, grandfather of Charles Darwin.

Early Origins of the Rasmusen family

The surname Rasmusen was first found in Denmark where surnames were generally not adopted by the general population until the nineteenth century. In 1828 the Danish government ordered that children at baptism be given a "family name" along with a "first name". A second law (1860) made the family name hereditary.

Early History of the Rasmusen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rasmusen research. The years 1466, 1536, 1585 and 1652 are included under the topic Early Rasmusen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rasmusen Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Rasmusen family

Desiderius Erasmus of Roterdam (c. 1466-1536), perhaps the most influential intellectual of the Renaissance period. Jesper Rasmussen Brochmand (1585-1652) was a Danish Lutheran clergyman, theologian and professor who served as Bishop of the Diocese of Zealand. Born at...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rasmusen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rasmusen 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:

Rasmusen Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Catherine Rasmusen, (b. 1844), aged 28, Scandinavian maid servant travelling from Hamburg aboard the ship "Palmerston" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 12th December 1872 2
  • Mr. Jens Rasmusen, (b. 1836), aged 36, Scandinavian farm labourer travelling from Hamburg aboard the ship "Palmerston" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 12th December 1872 2
  • Mrs. Christine Rasmusen, (b. 1836), aged 36, Scandinavian settler travelling from Hamburg aboard the ship "Palmerston" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 12th December 1872 2
  • Miss Pedria Rasmusen, (b. 1868), aged 4, Scandinavian settler travelling from Hamburg aboard the ship "Palmerston" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 12th December 1872 2
  • Miss Anna Rasmusen, (b. 1872), aged 9 months, Scandinavian settler travelling from Hamburg aboard the ship "Palmerston" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 12th December 1872 2
  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html

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