2000
#8,396
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,619
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Robinett
A diminutive of Robin, likely referring to someone with bright red hair or a ruddy complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,028 Americans carry the last name Robinett. That puts it at #8,936 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,093 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Robinett 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
4.0K
1 in 85,093
Census rank
#8,936
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,513 bearers of the surname Robinett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8936th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Robinett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Robinett
The surname Robinett is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is considered a variant of the more common surname Robinson, which was derived from the given name Robert, meaning "bright fame" or "shining glory" in Old English. The "ett" suffix was likely added as a diminutive form, indicating a smaller or younger person.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Robinett surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1232, where a Robert Robinett is mentioned as a landowner. The name also appears in various tax records and legal documents from the 13th and 14th centuries, primarily in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire.
In the 16th century, the Robinett surname gained some prominence with the rise of William Robinett (1535-1614), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Nottinghamshire. His descendants continued to hold significant land and property holdings in the region for several generations.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a John Robinett (1620-1689) served as a captain in the Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell. He was later granted lands in Derbyshire for his military service.
In the 18th century, the Robinett family had established branches in various parts of England, as well as in Ireland and Scotland. Notable individuals from this period include James Robinett (1725-1802), a renowned clockmaker from Lincolnshire, and Elizabeth Robinett (1760-1842), a philanthropist and activist for women's education in Yorkshire.
As the British Empire expanded, many Robinetts emigrated to various colonies and territories, including North America, Australia, and parts of the Caribbean. One notable figure was Thomas Robinett (1785-1856), a pioneer settler in Upper Canada (modern-day Ontario) who founded the town of Robinettville, now part of the city of Hamilton.
Other notable individuals bearing the Robinett surname throughout history include:
1. Sir Walter Robinett (1845-1923), a British diplomat and ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.
2. Mary Robinett (1870-1942), an American suffragist and advocate for women's rights.
3. Robert Robinett (1908-1995), an American businessman and philanthropist who established the Robinett Foundation.
4. Courtney Robinett (1938-2002), a Canadian author and poet known for her works exploring Indigenous culture and heritage.
5. David Robinett (born 1964), an American computer scientist and entrepreneur, co-founder of the virtual reality company Oculus VR.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Robinett
Among Census respondents with the surname Robinett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Robinett 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 Robinett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.1% · 3,061
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 192
- Two or more races4.3% · 151
- Black or African American1.6% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Robinett
Robinett 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
#8,925
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,667
+48 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 529 places
2020
#8,936
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,513
-154 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,396 | 3,619 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,925 | 3,667 | 1.24 | +48 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 529 places |
| 2020 | #8,936 | 3,513 | 1.18 | -154 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 11 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 Robinett 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 | #8,925 | #8,936 | -0.1% |
| Count | 3,667 | 3,513 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.18 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Robinett bearers went from 3,667 to 3,513 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,925 to #8,936.
FAQ
Robinett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Robinett?
Name Census estimates that about 4,028 living Americans carry the surname Robinett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,093 residents.
How common is Robinett?
Robinett ranks #8,936 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,513 people with the surname Robinett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,028), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Robinett.
Has Robinett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Robinett went from 3,667 recorded bearers to 3,513. That is a decrease of 154 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,925 to #8,936.
What does the Census say about the background of Robinett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Robinett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Robinett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (3,061 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Robinett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.1%), Hispanic (5.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Robinett (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 Robinett mean?
A diminutive of Robin, likely referring to someone with bright red hair or a ruddy complexion. 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 Robinett (1.18 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 Robinett?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Robinett at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.