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Roebuck History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Roebuck History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England-Alt
England
Scotland

The name Roebuck is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. Roebuck was a name used for a person who because of their physical characteristics were referred to as roebuck. The name literally means "dweller at the sign of the male roe deer." 1

Early Origins of the Roebuck family

The surname Roebuck was first found in West Riding of Yorkshire where the name was recorded "for many centuries." 2

Early rolls point to nearby counties as their first recording. Adam Rabuck was listed in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1246. The Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire listed Matilda Robuc in 1297. 3

In Lincolnshire, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included an entry for Thomas Rabuk. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Ricardus Rabuk and Robertus Rabuk as holding lands there at that time. 2

"The Roebucks were an old Sheffield manufacturing firm that existed as far back as the beginning of last century. The name is still in the town." 4

Further to the north in Scotland, "Roger Raboc or Raboch witnessed a charter of the church of Culessin (Colessie), 1262 and John Rabuk, bailie of Linlithgow, rendered homage [to King Edward I of England] in 1296." 5

Early History of the Roebuck family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Roebuck research. Another 61 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1718, 1742, 1781, 1794, 1801, 1809, 1812, 1815 and 1819 are included under the topic Early Roebuck History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Roebuck Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Roebuck include Roebuck, Robuck and others.

Early Notables of the Roebuck family

Notables of the family at this time include

John Roebuck (1718-1794), English inventor, born in 1718 at Sheffield, was the son of John Roebuck, a prosperous manufacturer of Sheffield goods, who wished him to engage in and inherit the business...
Thomas Roebuck (1781-1819), orientalist, grandson of John Roebuck [q. v.] the inventor, was born in Linlithgowshire in 1781. He went to school at Alloa, and afterwards to the high school at Edinburgh...

Roebuck Ranking

In the United States, the name Roebuck is the 5,020^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 6

Roebuck migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Roebuck were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Roebuck Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Roebuck, who landed in Maryland in 1674 7

Roebuck Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jarvis Roebuck, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1745 7

Roebuck Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Wood Roebuck, who arrived in America in 1806 7
Benjamin Disney Roebuck, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1808
John, John Wood, Nathan, William, William Roebuck all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1805 and 1876

Roebuck migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Roebuck Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Luke Roebuck U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway, [Shelbourne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 234 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 28, 1783 at Staten Island, New York, USA 8

Roebuck migration to Australia +

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

Roebuck Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Joseph Roebuck, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Argyle" on March 5th, 1831, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 9
Mr. Joseph Roebuck, (b. 1807), aged 34, English groom who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 10 years for stealing, transported aboard the "David Clarke" on 3rd June 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1873 10
Mr. Robert Roebuck, (b. 1806), aged 36, English convict who was convicted in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England for 10 years for house robbery, transported aboard the "Earl Grey" on 4th October 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
John Roebuck, English convict from York, who was transported aboard the "Anson" on September 23, 1843, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 12
Mr. Joseph Roebuck, British convict who was convicted in Leeds, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Cornwall" on 28th February 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Roebuck 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:

Roebuck Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Charles Roebuck, aged 35, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1842 14
Elizabeth Roebuck, aged 30, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1842 14
Elizabeth Roebuck, aged 14, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1842 14
George Palmer Roebuck, aged 10, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1842 14
Mary Ann Roebuck, aged 3, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1842 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Roebuck (post 1700) +

Alvah Curtis Roebuck (1864-1948), American businessman who co-founded the Sears-Roebuck company in 1893
Edward Jack Roebuck (1931-2018), American Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played from 1955 to 1966
Daniel Randall Roebuck (b. 1963), American television and movie actor, writer and producer
John Roebuck (1718-1794), English inventor, born at Sheffield, was the son of John Roebuck, a prosperous manufacturer of Sheffield goods
Joseph "Joe" Roebuck (b. 1985), English two-time silver medalist swimmer at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
Peter Michael Roebuck (1956-2011), English cricketer
Neil Roebuck (b. 1969), English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, and 1990s
Roy Delville Roebuck (1929-2023), British Labour Party politician and journalist, Member of Parliament for Harrow East from 1966 to 1970
Mrs. Winifred Leigh Roebuck M.B.E., British recipient of Member of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to British foreign policy and security 15
Thomas Roebuck (1781-1819), Scottish Orientalist, grandson of John Roebuck, the inventor, born in Linlithgowshire
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Argyle voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1831 with 251 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/argyle/1831
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-clarke
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-gray
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anson voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1843 with 499 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anson/1843
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cornwall
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 7th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62310, 31 October 2019 | London Gazette, The Gazette, June 2018, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/62310/supplement/B1