Rawstorn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Rawstorn

What does the name Rawstorn mean?

The name Rawstorn was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Rawstorn family lived in Yorkshire, at Rostherne. Rawsthorn is derived from Old Norman names that mean red, and torn. Accordingly, the name means dweller by the thorns.

Early Origins of the Rawstorn family

The surname Rawstorn was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Fryston, and were conjecturally descended from Gerbodo, a Norman noble, who held those lands at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086, a census initiated by Duke William of Normandy after his conquest of England in 1066. This family emerged with several basic spellings, Rawson, which became popular in Yorkshire in all their various branches, Rawsthorne and Rawstorne and Rostron and Rawstorn all became more popular in Lancashire.

Early History of the Rawstorn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rawstorn research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1683 and 1965 are included under the topic Early Rawstorn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rawstorn Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Rawstorne, Rawsthorne, Rawstorn, Rawstron, Rawstrone, Rawsthorn, Rostron and many more.

Early Notables of the Rawstorn family

More information is included under the topic Early Rawstorn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Rawstorn family

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Rawstorn or a variant listed above: Richard Rawston, who arrived in Maryland in 1678; John Rawthorne, who settled in Maryland in 1756; and Robert Rawsthorne, who arrived in New York in 1884..