Rush History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland

The origins of the Rush name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived near a clump of rushes. The surname Rush comes from the Old English word rush, which had the same meaning. Thus, bearers of the surname Rush lived near a marsh, which was noted for its rushes.

Early Origins of the Rush family

The surname Rush was first found in Suffolk where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Rush family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rush research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1533, 1537, 1577, 1745, 1756, 1813, 1833 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Rush History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rush Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Rush were recorded, including Rush, Rushe and others.

Early Notables of the Rush family

Notables of the family at this time include

Anthony Rush (1537-1577), English divine, Dean of Chichester, was apparently son and heir of Arthur Rush of Sudborne, Suffolk, and grandson of Sir Thomas Rush of that place, who was knighted in 1533 f...
Dr. Benjamin Rush (1745-1813), was a Founding Father of the United States. Rush lived in the state of Pennsylvania and was a physician, writer, educator, humanitarian and signer of the American Declar...

Rush Ranking

In the United States, the name Rush is the 706^th most popular surname with an estimated 42,279 people with that name. 1 However, in New Zealand, the name Rush is ranked the 729^th most popular surname with an estimated 986 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Rush family to Ireland

Some of the Rush family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rush migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Rush family emigrate to North America:

Rush Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Clinion Rush, aged 13, who landed in Virginia in 1623 aboard the ship "Truelove" 3
John Rush, who settled in Virginia in 1642
Jasper Rush, who landed in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1644 3
William Rush, who landed in Virginia in 1650 3
George Rush, who settled in Virginia in 1654

Rush Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mary Rush, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 3
Nicholas Rush, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1749 3
Anthony Rush, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752 3
Conrad Rush, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1761 3
Henry Rush, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1765 3

Rush Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Michael Rush, who landed in America in 1812 3
George Rush, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 3
Adam Rush, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 3
Andrew Rush, aged 16, who landed in New York in 1854 3
James Rush, aged 18, who landed in New York in 1854 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rush migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rush Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Martin Rush U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 4
Mr. Martin Rush Jr., U.E. who settled in Midland District [Lennox & Addington], Ontario c. 1784 4
Mr. Martin Rush Sr., U.E. (b. 1732) born in Duchess County, New York, USA from Bergen County, New Jersey, USA who settled in Digby, Nova Scotia c. 1784, then Fredericktown, New Brunswick, resettled in 1798 in Midland District [Lennox & Addington], Ontario, then Prince Edward County, Ontario he was a Carpenter in the Engineer Department, married to Abigail Lockwood having 5 children, he died in 1827 4

Rush Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Rush, who arrived in Canada in 1800
Ms. Mary Rush who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec but died on Grosse Isle in 1847 5
Mr. Patrick Rush, aged 60 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Covenanter" departing from the port of Cork, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 5
Mr. Peter Rush, aged 3 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Naomi" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 5
Mr. B. Rush who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Naomi" departing 15th June 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 10th August 1847 but he died on board 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rush migration to Australia +

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

Rush Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Francis Rush, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Agamemnon" on April 22, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. James Rush, (b. 1800), aged 20, Irish labourer who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for life for felony, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. Charles Rush, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 27th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Catherine Rush, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on December 14, 1835, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 10
Isaac Rush, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Katherine Stewart Forbes" in 1837 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rush 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:

Rush Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Rush, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Stately" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 5th February 1854 12

Rush migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 13

Rush Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. William Rush, (b. 1615), aged 20, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Matthew" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 14

Contemporary Notables of the name Rush (post 1700) +

Barbara Rush (1927-2024), American Golden Globe Award winning stage, film, and television actress, known for her roles in Peyton Place, All My Children, The Young Lions, The Young Philadelphians and many more
Stockton Rush III (1962-2023), American founder of OceanGate which provides crewed submersibles for tourism, industry, research and exploration, one of the five people inside a submersible that went missing in the North Atlantic while en route to view the wreckage of the Titanic on 18 June 2023
Richard Rush (1929-2021), American Academy Award nominated film director, scriptwriter, and producer, best known for directing The Stunt Man
Christopher Rush (1965-2016), American illustrator, best known for his work on Magic: The Gathering
Major-General Hugo Peoples Rush (1900-1979), American Commanding General Western Air Defense Command (1949-1951) 15
Kenneth Rush, American Lawyer
Benjamin Rush (1745-1813), American signer of Declaration of Independence
William Rees Rush, American officer in the United States Navy
Bobby Rush (b. 1940), American blues and R&B musician
Bennie Rush, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1948 16
... (Another 38 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Rush family +

RMS Titanic

Mr. Alfred George John Rush (d. 1912), aged 16, English Third Class passenger from Strood, Kent who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 17

USS Arizona

Mr. Richard Perry Rush, American Seaman First Class from Texas, 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 18

The Rush Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Un Dieu
Motto Translation: One God.

Citations +

"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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 54)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 94)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Agamemnon voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1820 with 179 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agamemnon/1820
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1835 with 132 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1835
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) KATHERINE STEWART FORBES 1837 arrived Holdfast Bay, near Adelaide, on October 17, 1837. . Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837KatherineStewartForbes.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2014, March 26) Hugo Rush. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Rush/Hugo_Peoples/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.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