Robley
An English name derived from Robert, meaning "bright fame".
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the first name Robley. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Robley today is around 75 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Robley births was 1945 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Robley. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Robley is about 75 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Robleys were born before 1961.
People living today
124
~ 1 in 2,764,148 Americans
Peak year
1945
14 babies that year
Average age
75
years old
1972 SSA rank
#4,864
Tracked since 1908
Popularity
Robley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Robley from the 1900s through to the 1970s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 75 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Robley by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Robley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Robleys live
Origin
Meaning and history of Robley
The given name Robley is an English name with origins dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be a variant of the name Robert, which itself derives from the Germanic elements "hrod" meaning "fame" and "berht" meaning "bright." The earliest recorded use of the name Robley can be traced to the late 1500s in parts of England.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robley Williams, an English soldier who fought in the English Civil War during the 1640s. He served under Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentarian forces and played a role in several key battles, including the Battle of Naseby in 1645.
In the 18th century, a notable figure named Robley Dunglison (1798-1869) made his mark as a renowned physician and professor. Born in England, he later emigrated to the United States and served as a professor of medicine at the University of Virginia and Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.
Another prominent individual with the name Robley was Robley D. Evans (1846-1912), an American naval officer who served in the United States Navy during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He played a significant role in the Spanish-American War and later achieved the rank of Rear Admiral.
In the realm of sports, Robley Cook (1918-2003) was a British Olympic rower who competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. He was part of the British rowing team that won a silver medal in the coxless pairs event.
Moving into the 20th century, Robley E. George (1911-1994) was an American chemical engineer and inventor. He is best known for his work in the development of synthetic rubber during World War II, which was crucial for the war effort and later had significant industrial applications.
While the name Robley has never been exceedingly common, it has maintained a presence throughout history, carried by individuals from various walks of life, including military figures, academics, athletes, and inventors. Despite its relative rarity, the name has left its mark across different eras and cultures.
People
Robley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Robley as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Robley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Robley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 124 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Robley going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,764,148 US residents.
Is Robley a common name?
We classify Robley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 362 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Robley most popular?
The single biggest year for Robley was 1945, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Robley is about 75 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Robley a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Robley in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.