From Old English 'rysc' meaning rush plant, or a place near rushes. A nature surname.
Rush began as an English surname, most often linked to the Old English word for a rush or reed, a plant common in wetlands. In that form it was likely topographic, originally describing someone who lived near rushes or marshy ground. Like many English surnames, it later crossed over into occasional use as a given name.
The word itself also accumulated a separate life in English as a verb meaning to hurry or surge forward, which gives the modern name an energy very different from its pastoral origin. That double meaning is part of what makes Rush interesting. On one side, it is old landscape language: reeds, water, place, ancestry.
On the other, it sounds fast, forceful, and contemporary. Historical bearers of the surname include Benjamin Rush, the American Founding Father, physician, and reformer, whose prominence gave the name intellectual and civic weight. In popular culture, many also think of the Canadian rock band Rush, which adds a different aura of artistic intensity and cool.
As a given name, Rush is rare, and that rarity is central to its appeal. It belongs to the modern taste for compact surname names with strong edges. Over time it has evolved from a quiet English family name into something more kinetic and stylized. Yet the old reed-bed origin still lingers underneath, giving the name an unexpected depth: a word of landscape transformed into a badge of momentum.