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Rush Family History

Rush Surname Meaning

English: from Middle English rishe rush(e) rosh(e) ‘rush’ (Old English risc) either a topographic name for someone who lived in a rushy place or a nickname probably denoting someone who wove mats, baskets, and other articles out of rushes.

English: nickname from Middle English rush ‘beehive’ (probably referring to skeps woven from rushes) perhaps denoting a bee-keeper.

Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Ruis ‘descendant of Ros’ a personal name perhaps derived from ros ‘wood’. In Connacht it has also been used as a translation of Ó Luachra due to confusion with the Irish word luachair ‘rushes’ (see Loughrey).

Irish: Anglicized form (translation) of Gaelic Ó Fuada ‘descendant of Fuada’ a personal name meaning ‘hasty, rushing’ (see Foody).

Americanized form of German Rüsch (see Ruesch) or Rusch.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Rush family from?

You can see how Rush families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Rush family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Rush families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 267 Rush families living in Ontario. This was about 63% of all the recorded Rush's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Rush families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Rush surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Rush ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Rush. 34% of Rush men worked as a Farmer and 25% of Rush women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Rush were Gardener and Clerk.

View Census Data for Rush | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    34%
  • Labourer
    15%
  • Laborer
    8%
  • Gardener
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housekeeper
    25%
  • Teacher
    15%
  • Income
    15%
  • Clerk
    15%

What Rush family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 239,000 census records available for the last name Rush. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Rush census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Rush

Passenger Lists

There are 19,000 immigration records available for the last name Rush. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 42,000 military records available for the last name Rush. For the veterans among your Rush ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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