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

Robertson, 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 Robertson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Robertson in America

Robertson is the 175th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Robertson surname appeared 153,666 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 52 people would have the surname Robertson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Robertson 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 Robertson

The surname Robertson is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Old English words "rod" meaning "cleared land" and "bert" meaning "bright" or "distinguished". It was originally an occupational surname given to a person who cleared land for agricultural use or who lived on newly cleared land.

In the 12th and 13th centuries, the name was first recorded in various spellings such as Roberton, Robartson, and Roberdson, primarily in the Scottish Borders and Lothian regions. One of the earliest recorded instances was in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which listed people who swore fealty to King Edward I of England, including Thomas de Roberton from Berwickshire.

The Robertson surname is closely associated with Clan Donnachaidh, a Highland Scottish clan that traces its roots to the 13th century. The clan's territories were centered around Atholl and Perthshire, and many Robertsons can trace their lineage back to this clan.

Notable historical figures with the surname Robertson include:

1. William Robertson (1721-1793), a Scottish historian and principal of the University of Edinburgh, best known for his work "The History of America".

2. Sir William Robertson (1860-1933), a British Army officer who served as the Chief of the Imperial General Staff during World War I.

3. Archibald Robertson (1765-1835), a Scottish-American merchant and politician who served as a United States Representative from Virginia.

4. Andrew Robertson (born 1994), a Scottish professional footballer who currently plays as a left-back for Liverpool F.C. and the Scottish national team.

5. Pat Robertson (born 1930), an American media mogul, political commentator, and former Baptist minister who founded the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) and the Regent University.

The name Robertson has also been associated with various place names, such as Robertsontown in County Kildare, Ireland, and Robertsonville in Monmouth County, New Jersey, both likely named after individuals with the Robertson surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Robertson

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

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 Robertson 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 Robertson 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 Robertson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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