Raff

Raff
Recorded in many forms including Ralph, Ralphs, Ralfe, Rafe, Raff, Ralls, Rave, Rawle, and Rawles (English), Raoul, Raoult, Rault, and Raoux (French), Radou and Razoux (Provencal), Radolf, Radloff, Rahl and Rahlof (German), and many others, this is a surname of ancient Norse origins. It derives from the personal name "Radulf," composed of the elements "rad", meaning counsel or advice, and "wolf", a wolf, an animal much admired at the time for its ferocity and cunning. The personal name was introduced thoughout Northern Europe and the British Isles by the famous "Viking" invaders of the 7th century. After the Norman-French conquest of England in 1066 , the French form of "Raoul" also made its appearance. In early English records, the original surname was invariably Latinized as "Radulfus", as in the first recording below. The surname, however spelt, is one of the earliest recorded anywhere in the world, and its development since the late 12th century has included such examples as: Richard Rau of the county of Norfolk in the year 1212, Simon Raulf of Sussex in 1296, and in Germany Johan Radolfi, given as being a burgher of the city of Hannover, in 1310. Recordings in France are generally much later, and many did not survive the Revolution of 1789 - 1794, when they were regarded as instruments of the secret police, and hence destroyed. The known recordings include Louis Raoul of Saintonge, Aulnay, in the department of Charente-Maritime on July 1st 1636, and Jean Rault, and his wife the former Marie Anne Gasbled, at Germain-en-Laye, Seine -et-Oise, on May 3rd 1788. The first recorded spelling of the family name anywhere is believed to be that of Johannes Radulphus. This was dated 1186, in the surviving charters of the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds, in the county of Suffolk, England, in the reign of King Henry 11nd, 1154 - 1189. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to develop, often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Raff — bezeichnet: Metallschrott (altes und/oder oxidiertes Metall; bspw.: Kupferraff), siehe Raff (Schrott) Raff ist der Name folgender Personen: Friedrich Raff (1889–1947), deutscher Drehbuchautor Fritz Raff (1948–2011), deutscher Journalist,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Raff — Raff, n. 1. A promiscuous heap; a jumble; a large quantity; lumber; refuse. A raff of errors. Barrow. [1913 Webster] 2. The sweepings of society; the rabble; the mob; chiefly used in the compound or duplicate, riffraff. [1913 Webster] 3. A low… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Raff — (r[.a]f), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Raffed} (r[.a]ft); p. pr. & vb. n. {Raffing}.] [OF. raffer, of German origin; cf. G. raffen; akin to E. rap to snatch. See {Rap}, and cf. {Riffraff}, {Rip} to tear.] To sweep, snatch, draw, or huddle together; to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Raff — Raff, Georg Christian, geb. 1748 in Stuttgart; war Conrector u. zuletzt Rector am Lyceum in Göttingen u. st. 1788. Er schr. u.a.: Geographie für Kinder, Gött. 1776 u. ö.; Naturgeschichte für Kinder, ebd. 1778, 13. Aufl. 1827 …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Raff — Raff, 1) Georg Christian, namhafter Schulmann und Jugendschriftsteller, geb. 30. Sept. 1748 in Stuttgart, studierte in Göttingen, wo er Lehrer war und als Rektor des Lyzeums 5. Juni 1788 starb. Er war einer der ersten Pädagogen, welche die neuern …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Raff — Raff, Joachim, Komponist, geb. 27. Mai 1822 zu Lachen in der Schweiz, seit 1877 Direktor des Hochschen Konservatoriums in Frankfurt a. M., gest. das. 24. Juni 1882; am bedeutendsten seine Instrumentalwerke (Sinfonien »Im Walde«, »Leonore« u.a.,… …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Raff — Raff, Georg Christian, geb. 1748 zu Stuttgart, gest. 1788 als Conrector des Gymnasiums zu Göttingen, bekannt durch seine Naturgeschichte für Kinder, die ein Lieblingsbuch derselben wurde (Göttingen 1778; 12. Aufl. 1827) …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • raff — [raf] n. [ME raf: see RIFFRAFF] 1. RIFFRAFF 2. [Brit. Dial.] rubbish; trash …   English World dictionary

  • raff — gi·raff·ine; gi·raff·ish; raff·ing; raff·ish; raff·man; raff; riff·raff; raff·ish·ly; raff·ish·ness; …   English syllables

  • raff — /raf/, n. riffraff; rabble. [1665 75; extracted from RIFF RAFF] * * * …   Universalium

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