# Rathbun (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/rathbun/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 6,467 |
| US rank (2010) | 5,381 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 47,742 people |
| Change since 2000 | +0.5% (6,438 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

from Middle English rath (Old English hræth) ‘eager, swift’ + bon (Old English bān) ‘bone’, specifically here the leg bone. In some instances the name was recorded with bayn (Old Norse beinn) ‘bone, leg’ in place of native English ban(e). This form of the surname is now rare in Britain.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Rathbun in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 95% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 0.2% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1.8% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.8% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.5% |
| Two or more races | 2.0% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Rathbun in the United States.

## People named Rathbun

- Mary J. Rathbun, American carcinologist (1860–1943)
- Mark Rathbun, American whistleblower
- Richard Rathbun, American zoologist (1852-1918)
- Brownie Mary, American medical cannabis activist (1922–1999)
- Audien, American DJ, record producer and musician

## Similar surnames

Rathbone, Ruthven.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.