Rawson
An English patronymic surname meaning “son of Raw,” a short form of Ralph or Rauf.
The #5,442 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 48,279 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Rawson is a patronymic surname built from Raw, a short form of Ralph or Rauf, plus -son, meaning “son of.” The older sources cited here treat Raw as a pet form of Ralph rather than an independent name in most cases, so the literal sense is “son of Raw/Ralph.” The deeper root of Ralph goes back to an old Germanic personal name, later shaped through Old French usage into medieval English forms.
History
The name is well attested in medieval England; one cited 1379 Yorkshire record gives Willelmus Raufson, showing an early spelling close to the modern form. Nineteenth-century surname writers note that Rawson was long familiar in Yorkshire and treat it as a standard English patronymic. The surname also appears in later records in other parts of Britain and in emigrant communities abroad.
Origin
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Fun fact
Some 19th-century surname dictionaries grouped Rawson with a whole family of Ralph-based surnames, including Raw, Rawlings, Rawlinson, and Rolfe.
From the historical record
“2 Rauf's (Ralph's) (Son) : v. Ralph. RAWSON I Raw's Son : v. Raw. 2 Rauf's (Ralph's) Son: v. Ralph. Willelmus Raufson. — Yorks Poll-Tax, A.D. 1379. RAWSTHORN RAWSTHORNE”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)