2000
#20,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,208
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.45
Rare Last name
Robards
An occupational surname derived from the Old French "robert," meaning a stout, robust person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,322 Americans carry the last name Robards. That puts it at #22,806 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 259,270 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Robards surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
1.3K
1 in 259,270
Census rank
#22,806
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,153 bearers of the surname Robards in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 22806th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Robards, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Robards
The surname Robards has its origins in England, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English words "hrop" and "beorht," meaning "bright" and "shining," respectively. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone with a bright or radiant complexion or personality.
The name is first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Roberd" and "Rodberd." These early spellings indicate that the name evolved over time, with variations like "Robart," "Robarts," and "Robards" emerging in subsequent centuries.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Sir John Robards, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War in the 14th century. Another notable figure was William Robards, a merchant and alderman in the City of London during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various historical records, such as the Registry of Deeds in Oxfordshire, where a Thomas Robards is mentioned in 1635. Interestingly, the name is also associated with the village of Robards in Staffordshire, which may have derived its name from an early bearer of the surname.
Fast-forwarding to the 18th century, we find Benjamin Robards (1738-1827), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. In the same century, Samuel Robards (1753-1807) was a prominent Baptist minister and educator in Virginia.
Moving into the 19th century, one notable figure was Brigadier General William P. Robards (1807-1882), who served in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War. Another significant individual was William Robards (1844-1930), a British architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Savoy Hotel.
Throughout its history, the surname Robards has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including soldiers, politicians, clergymen, and architects. While its origins can be traced back to medieval England, the name has since spread to other parts of the world, reflecting the diverse journeys and contributions of its bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Robards
Among Census respondents with the surname Robards, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Robards bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Robards surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 1,010
- Two or more races3.8% · 44
- Black or African American3.6% · 41
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Robards
Robards appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#19,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,402
+194 bearers (+16.1%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Up 1,130 places
2020
#22,806
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,153
-249 bearers (-17.8%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Down 3,500 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,436 | 1,208 | 0.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,306 | 1,402 | 0.48 | +194 bearers (+16.1%) | Up 1,130 places |
| 2020 | #22,806 | 1,153 | 0.39 | -249 bearers (-17.8%) | Down 3,500 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Robards surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #19,306 | #22,806 | -18.1% |
| Count | 1,402 | 1,153 | -17.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.48 | 0.39 | -19.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Robards bearers went from 1,402 to 1,153 (-17.8% change). The surname moved down 3,500 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,306 to #22,806.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Robards
FAQ
Robards surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Robards?
Name Census estimates that about 1,322 living Americans carry the surname Robards. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 259,270 residents.
How common is Robards?
Robards ranks #22,806 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,153 people with the surname Robards. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,322), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Robards.
Has Robards become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Robards went from 1,402 recorded bearers to 1,153. That is a decrease of 249 (-17.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #19,306 to #22,806.
What does the Census say about the background of Robards?
Among Census respondents with the surname Robards, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (3.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Robards in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (1,010 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Robards appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Black (3.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Robards (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Robards mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Old French "robert," meaning a stout, robust person. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Robards (0.39 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Robards?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Robards on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.