Find out how popular the last name Roberson is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Roberson.

Roberson, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Roberson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Roberson in America

Roberson is the 605th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Roberson surname appeared 56,180 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 19 people would have the surname Roberson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Roberson to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Roberson

The surname Roberson has its origins in England, and is derived from the Old English words "hrop" or "rop", meaning "rope", and "son", meaning "son of". It likely originated as an occupational name for the son of a rope maker or someone involved in the rope-making trade.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Roberson can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Ropere" and "Ropesson". This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.

During the medieval period, the name was also spelled as "Roperson", "Ropersone", and "Ropertson", among other variations. These different spellings reflect the regional dialects and scribal conventions of the time.

The Roberson surname is closely associated with several place names in England, such as Roberton in Northumberland and Robertown in Lancashire. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, indicating areas where families with the Roberson name settled.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the Roberson surname include:

1. John Roberson (c. 1590-1668), an English clergyman and author of several religious works.
2. William Roberson (1768-1842), an American pioneer and frontiersman who explored the American West.
3. Emily Roberson (1843-1925), an American activist and educator who fought for women's rights and racial equality.
4. James Roberson (1890-1972), a Scottish-born American architect known for his work in the Art Deco style.
5. Lillian Roberson (1912-2002), an American jazz singer and actress who performed in the 1940s and 1950s.

These examples demonstrate the widespread use of the Roberson surname across various professions and time periods, reflecting its enduring presence in English-speaking communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Roberson

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Roberson.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Roberson was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Roberson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Roberson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Roberson, please contact us.

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