2000
#364
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 78,141
First available Census row
Per 100,000 28.97
Uncommon Last name
Robbins
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Robert, meaning "bright fame" or "shining with fame."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 86,463 Americans carry the last name Robbins. That puts it at #427 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 25.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,964 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Robbins 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Robbins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
86K
1 in 3,964
Census rank
#427
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
25.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
75K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 75,400 bearers of the surname Robbins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 25.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 427th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Robbins, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Robbins
The surname Robbins originated in England, deriving from the Old French personal name Robin, which was a diminutive of the name Robert. The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the 12th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Robins" and "Robyns." This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
The name Robbins is believed to have initially been an occupational surname, referring to individuals who worked in the trade of dyeing or weaving fabrics with a reddish-brown color known as "robin." This color was derived from the robin bird's distinctive red breast.
During the Middle Ages, the name was also associated with certain place names, such as Robinswood in Gloucestershire and Robinston in Yorkshire. These names likely originated from individuals bearing the surname who resided in or owned land in those areas.
Notable individuals with the surname Robbins include:
1. John Robbins (c. 1585-1644), an English Puritan clergyman and one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
2. Thomas Robbins (1777-1856), an American Congregational minister and author from Connecticut.
3. Archibald Robbins (1801-1874), an American jurist and politician from New Jersey who served as a United States Senator.
4. Wilbur Robbins (1916-1997), an American pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Athletics.
5. Marlon Robbins (1917-1982), an American singer, actor, and multi-talented performer famous for his roles in Western films.
The surname Robbins has also been associated with various historical figures and events throughout England's history, further solidifying its place as a well-established English surname with deep roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Robbins
Among Census respondents with the surname Robbins, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Robbins 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 Robbins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 63,696
- Black or African American7.1% · 5,329
- Two or more races3.8% · 2,849
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 2,388
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 641
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 497
Timeline
Historical Census data for Robbins
Robbins 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
#410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 78,381
+240 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 26.57
Rank movement Down 46 places
2020
#427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 75,400
-2,981 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 25.23
Rank movement Down 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #364 | 78,141 | 28.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #410 | 78,381 | 26.57 | +240 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 46 places |
| 2020 | #427 | 75,400 | 25.23 | -2,981 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 17 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 Robbins 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 | #410 | #427 | -4.1% |
| Count | 78,381 | 75,400 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 26.57 | 25.23 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Robbins bearers went from 78,381 to 75,400 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #410 to #427.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Robbins
FAQ
Robbins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Robbins?
Name Census estimates that about 86,463 living Americans carry the surname Robbins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,964 residents.
How common is Robbins?
Robbins ranks #427 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 25.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 25 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 75,400 people with the surname Robbins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (86,463), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 25.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 25.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 25 of them to have the surname Robbins.
Has Robbins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Robbins went from 78,381 recorded bearers to 75,400. That is a decrease of 2,981 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #410 to #427.
What does the Census say about the background of Robbins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Robbins, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Robbins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (63,696 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Robbins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Black (7.1%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Robbins (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 Robbins mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Robert, meaning "bright fame" or "shining with fame." 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 Robbins (25.23 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 Robbins?
See how common the surname Robbins is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.