Rush Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Rush Family History

Rush Family History

The Rush ancient family history was found in the irishsurnames.com archives.

Surnames developed a wide number of variants over the centuries. Many different spelling variations of the same name can be traced back to a single original root. Also, when a bearer of a name emigrated from Ireland it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books upon arrival at their new location. Some names have dozens of spelling variations. Some Surnames were also altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically, by their sound, and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another. This was especially so in Ireland where most Gaelic names were 'anglicized' at some stage.

Variants of the name Rush include O'Ruse, Rushe, Ruish and Ruishe. This name in Irish is O'Ruis and the latter variants are the anglicized forms of this. This sept came from Oriel.

A sept or clan is a collective term describing a group of persons whose immediate ancestors bore a common surname and inhabited the same territory. It is also the case that many Irish septs or clans that are related often belong to a larger groups, sometimes called tribes. For example the 'Tribes of Galway' consisted of fourteen distinct families. The 'Tribes of Kilkenny' were ten families, etc.

The pedigree of the family can be supported in 'an Lebor Gebala' of O'Rois of Oriel and by the evidence in the Hearth Money Rolls. In the Fitzwilliam Accounts of 1561 we find a Thomas O'Rushe as official letter carrier. A Tadhg O'Rushe, who was a Kern, appears in the County Dublin Fiants dated 1566. Five different families of Rush, Rushe, Ruish and Ruishe appear in the Inquisitions for King's County, Offaly, dated 1623. The name is also found in Connacht where it is of the Ui Fiachrach O'Luachra. Luachair is the Irish word for Rush. This sept belongs to the Barony of Tireragh, County Sligo.The Rush family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Rush descendants.