2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Robba
A descriptive surname derived from the Italian word "robba" meaning "thing" or "stuff".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Robba. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Robba 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Robba in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Robba, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Robba
The surname ROBBA has its origins in Italy, with records dating back to the 12th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old Italian word "robba," meaning "goods" or "possessions," indicating that the first bearers of this surname may have been merchants or traders dealing in various goods.
ROBBA is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Italy, particularly in the areas around Venice and Genoa, where maritime trade flourished during the Middle Ages. Some of the earliest known records of this surname can be found in the archives of these cities, documenting the activities of merchants and traders with this name.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname ROBBA was Giovanni Robba, a Genoese merchant who lived in the late 13th century. His name appears in several records related to trade agreements and transactions with other Italian cities and regions.
Another notable figure was Battista Robba, a sculptor from the town of Massagno, near Venice, who lived from 1553 to 1626. He was renowned for his work in marble and bronze, with several of his sculptures adorning churches and public spaces throughout Italy.
In the 16th century, the ROBBA family expanded their reach beyond Italy, with some members settling in other parts of Europe, including Spain and France. One such individual was Antonio Robba, who was born in Genoa in 1551 and later became a successful merchant in Seville, Spain.
The surname ROBBA also gained prominence in the world of literature, with the Italian poet and writer Sebastiano Robba, who lived from 1659 to 1736. He was known for his lyrical works and was a member of several literary academies in his native Genoa.
Over the centuries, the ROBBA surname underwent various spelling variations, including Roba, Robba, and Robbio. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and local naming traditions, but they all traced their roots back to the original Italian form.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Robba
Among Census respondents with the surname Robba, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Robba 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 Robba surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.8% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino8.8% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.3% · 6
- Black or African American4.4% · 5
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Robba
Robba 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-21 bearers (-15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,923 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -21 bearers (-15.8%) | Down 26,923 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 32 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 Robba 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 | #147,253 | #147,221 | 0.0% |
| Count | 112 | 113 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Robba bearers went from 112 to 113 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #147,221.
FAQ
Robba surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Robba?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Robba. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Robba?
Robba ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 113 people with the surname Robba. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Robba.
Has Robba become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Robba went from 112 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Robba?
Among Census respondents with the surname Robba, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%). 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 Robba in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.8% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Robba appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.8%), Hispanic (8.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%). 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 Robba (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 Robba mean?
A descriptive surname derived from the Italian word "robba" meaning "thing" or "stuff". 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 Robba (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Robba?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.