Meanings
Origin
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.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
Rathbun. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Rathbun
MLA
“Rathbun.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Rathbun. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Rathbun,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Rathbun.
Source: Rathbun on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.