2000
#2,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.50
Uncommon Last name
Robert
A Germanic surname derived from the given name meaning "bright fame," referring to a person with a glorious reputation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,881 Americans carry the last name Robert. That puts it at #2,899 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,692 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Robert 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 Robert with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,692
Census rank
#2,899
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,105 bearers of the surname Robert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2899th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Robert, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.7%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Robert
The surname Robert is an ancient one that can be traced back to the Germanic regions of Europe, particularly France and England. It is derived from the old Germanic words "hrod" meaning "fame" and "berht" meaning "bright." The name Robert essentially means "bright fame" or "shining with glory."
In medieval times, the name Robert was quite popular among the nobility and ruling classes. It first appeared in written records as early as the 9th century, with one of the earliest known references being in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners in England after the Norman Conquest.
Robert I, also known as Robert the Bruce, was a famous Scottish king who ruled from 1306 to 1329. He played a crucial role in the Scottish Wars of Independence against England. Another notable figure was Robert Guiscard, a Norman adventurer who conquered parts of southern Italy and Sicily in the 11th century and established the Hauteville dynasty.
During the Renaissance period, Robert Grosseteste (c. 1175-1253) was an influential English philosopher, theologian, and Bishop of Lincoln. He made significant contributions to the scientific method and is considered a forerunner of the modern scientific movement. Robert Hooke (1635-1703), an English polymath, was a renowned scientist and architect who made important discoveries in various fields, including optics and microscopy.
In the literary world, Robert Browning (1812-1889) was a renowned English poet and playwright, whose works include famous poems such as "My Last Duchess" and "The Pied Piper of Hamelin." Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), a Scottish novelist, essayist, and travel writer, is best known for his classic novels "Treasure Island" and "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."
The surname Robert has also been associated with various place names throughout history, such as Robertsbridge in East Sussex, England, and Robertville in Belgium. These places likely derived their names from individuals bearing the surname or from other historical connections to the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Robert
Among Census respondents with the surname Robert, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.7%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Robert 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 Robert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.7% · 7,588
- Black or African American18.2% · 2,202
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.8% · 943
- Hispanic or Latino7.3% · 880
- Two or more races3.6% · 436
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 56
Timeline
Historical Census data for Robert
Robert 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
#2,944
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,181
+52 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 4.13
Rank movement Down 214 places
2020
#2,899
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,105
-76 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 4.05
Rank movement Up 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,730 | 12,129 | 4.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,944 | 12,181 | 4.13 | +52 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 214 places |
| 2020 | #2,899 | 12,105 | 4.05 | -76 bearers (-0.6%) | Up 45 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 Robert 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 | #2,944 | #2,899 | 1.5% |
| Count | 12,181 | 12,105 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 4.13 | 4.05 | -1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Robert bearers went from 12,181 to 12,105 (-0.6% change). The surname moved up 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,944 to #2,899.
FAQ
Robert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Robert?
Name Census estimates that about 13,881 living Americans carry the surname Robert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,692 residents.
How common is Robert?
Robert ranks #2,899 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,105 people with the surname Robert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,881), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Robert.
Has Robert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Robert went from 12,181 recorded bearers to 12,105. That is a decrease of 76 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,944 to #2,899.
What does the Census say about the background of Robert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Robert, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.7%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.8%). 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 Robert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.7% (7,588 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Robert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.7%), Black (18.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.8%). 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 Robert (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 Robert mean?
A Germanic surname derived from the given name meaning "bright fame," referring to a person with a glorious reputation. 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 Robert (4.05 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 share the surname Robert?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.