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Rasmussen History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

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.'

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 Rasmussen family

The surname Rasmussen 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 Rasmussen family

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

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

Prominent among bearers of this surname in early times were

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:

L. Rasmussen, who arrived in Texas (1850 - 1906) 4
Lars N. Rasmussen, aged 28, Danish settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Nordamerika" 5
Elizabeth Rasmussen, aged 29, Danish settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Manhattan" 5
Kirsten Rasmussen, aged 33, Norwegian settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Carmania" 5
Anna Sofie Rasmussen, aged 44, Danish settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Polonia" 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rasmussen Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Hans Rasmussen, who arrived in Delaware in 1662 4

Rasmussen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Anne K. Rasmussen, aged 56, Scandinavian settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Emerald Isle" in 1818 5
Carl A. Rasmussen, aged 10, Scandinavian settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Emerald Isle" in 1818 5
Marin Rasmussen, aged 5, Scandinavian settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Emerald Isle" in 1818 5
Myto Rasmussen, aged 43, Scandinavian settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Emerald Isle" in 1818 5
Marin Rasmussen, aged 7, Scandinavian settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Emerald Isle" in 1818 5
... (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 Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rasmussen Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Mr. Henry Rasmussen, Danish settler who sailed aboard the ship "Stavangerfjord" arriving in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1951
Mr. Aage Rasmussen, Danish settler who sailed aboard the ship "Stavangerfjord" arriving in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1951

Rasmussen migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Rasmussen Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Rasmussen, German settler who arrived in Fremantle, Australia aboard the ship "Kalgoorlie" in 1899 6

Rasmussen Settlers in Australia in the 20th Century

T. P. Rasmussen, German settler who arrived in Fremantle, Australia aboard the ship "Prinz Regent Luitpold" in 1901 6
Ettel Rasmussen, German settler who arrived in Sydney, Australia aboard the ship "Darmstadt" in 1902 6
Elisabeth Rasmussen, German settler who arrived in Australia aboard the ship "Scharnhorst" in 1905 6
Marius Rasmussen, German settler who arrived in Australia aboard the ship "Scharnhorst" in 1905 6
Petra Rasmussen, German settler who arrived in Australia aboard the ship "Scharnhorst" in 1905 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Rasmussen (post 1700) +

William F. Rasmussen (b. 1932), American sports director, and one of the founders of ESPN, along with Scott Rasmussen and Ed Eagan, the first president and CEO of ESPN
Scott Rasmussen (b. 1956), American public opinion pollster and political analyst, co-founder of the sports television network ESPN and polling company Rasmussen Reports
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
Knud Johan Victor Rasmussen (1879-1933), Greenlandic-Danish explorer and anthropologist, the first European to cross the Northwest Passage via dog sled
Flemming Rasmussen (1968-2024), Danish former strongman competitor and powerlifter, seven-time Denmark Strongest Man
Hugo Rasmussen (1941-2015), Danish bassist, best known for his 1978 album Sweets to the Sweet
... (Another 3 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 8

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 9

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)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
National Archives of Australia retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ListingReports/PassengerListing.aspx
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.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