Ras (surname)

Ras is a surname with a variety of origins. In Dutch ras means "nimble, swift", but it is a patronymic surname: the archaic given name Ras, Raas, or Raes was short for Erasmus or was a derivative the Middle Dutch male name Razo. In Polish or Serbian the name is likely also patronymic, while in French the meaning "bare" or "shorn" may indicate a topographic name for someone who lived on bare or razed land. People with this surname include:


 * Barbara Ras (born 1949), American poet, translator and publisher
 * Eva Ras (born 1941), Serbian actress, writer, and painter
 * Hans Ras (1926–2003), Dutch professor of Javanese language and literature
 * Koos Ras (1928–2001), South African singer and comedian
 * Leopold Willem Ras (1760s–1823), Dutch merchant-trader and diplomat, opperhoofd in Dejima
 * Marthinus Nikolaas Ras (1853–1900), South African farmer, soldier, and gun-maker
 * Maxime Ras (born 1988), French football striker
 * Radomir Stević Ras (1931–1982), Serbian painter, illustrator and designer
 * (born 1994), Dutch ice hockey player