Rawson

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A coastal city in Argentina that serves as the capital of the Chubut province ; a family name of English origin carried by various people
2. The capital of Argentina's Chubut province, a port city on the Atlantic coast ; a hereditary surname found in English-speaking and other communities
3. A town on the Atlantic shore of southern Argentina ; a surname of English origin shared by a number of notable individuals

Etymology: Rawson is a surname built on a personal name: it comes from a Middle English variant of "Ralph" with the suffix "-son", so it means "son of Ralph." Surnames of this pattern were common across England, where a father's first name, given a "-son" ending, became the family name the children carried forward. The same process produced "Rawlinson", and the two are doublets, meaning they are two forms of one origin that developed separately into distinct family names. Ralph itself is an old Germanic name, and the Middle English spelling variation that gave "Rawson" its shape is the reason the two surnames look so alike while remaining separate forms.