2000
#3,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,530
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.90
Uncommon Last name
Robins
Derived from the given name Robert, meaning "bright fame," or referring to someone who lived near a robins' nest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,655 Americans carry the last name Robins. That puts it at #3,436 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,408 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Robins 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 Robins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 29,408
Census rank
#3,436
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,164 bearers of the surname Robins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3436th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Robins, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Robins
The surname ROBINS originated in England and was initially a patronymic name derived from the personal name Robert, which is an ancient Germanic name composed of the elements "hrod" meaning "fame" and "berht" meaning "bright." The Normans introduced this name to England after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ROBINS surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Robertus" and "Robins." This suggests that the surname was already in use by the late 11th century.
Throughout the medieval period, the ROBINS surname was prevalent in various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Oxfordshire. The name often appeared with different spellings, such as Robins, Robbins, and Robbyns, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and local dialects.
The ROBINS surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Robins Wood in Gloucestershire and Robins Green in Buckinghamshire. These place names likely derived from individuals named ROBINS who resided in or owned land in those areas.
Notable individuals with the ROBINS surname throughout history include:
1. John Robins (c. 1500-1558), an English Reformist and Bishop of Rochester during the Protestant Reformation.
2. Benjamin Robins (1707-1751), an English mathematician and engineer known for his work on ballistics and gunnery.
3. Thomas Robbins (1777-1856), an American Congregational minister and author from Connecticut.
4. Anne Robbins (1921-2019), a British World War II code-breaker and mechanical engineer.
5. Paul Robins (born 1962), an English actor best known for his role in the sitcom Birds of a Feather.
The ROBINS surname has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including clergymen, scientists, authors, and entertainers. Its origins can be traced back to the Norman Conquest, and it has since become a well-established surname in England and other parts of the English-speaking world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Robins
Among Census respondents with the surname Robins, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Robins 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 Robins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.4% · 7,354
- Black or African American18.2% · 1,845
- Two or more races4.4% · 451
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 347
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 123
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 44
Timeline
Historical Census data for Robins
Robins 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
#3,322
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,797
+267 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 3.66
Rank movement Down 183 places
2020
#3,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,164
-633 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 3.40
Rank movement Down 114 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,139 | 10,530 | 3.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,322 | 10,797 | 3.66 | +267 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 183 places |
| 2020 | #3,436 | 10,164 | 3.40 | -633 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 114 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 Robins 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 | #3,322 | #3,436 | -3.4% |
| Count | 10,797 | 10,164 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.66 | 3.40 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Robins bearers went from 10,797 to 10,164 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 114 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,322 to #3,436.
FAQ
Robins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Robins?
Name Census estimates that about 11,655 living Americans carry the surname Robins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,408 residents.
How common is Robins?
Robins ranks #3,436 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,164 people with the surname Robins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,655), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Robins.
Has Robins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Robins went from 10,797 recorded bearers to 10,164. That is a decrease of 633 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,322 to #3,436.
What does the Census say about the background of Robins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Robins, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Robins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.4% (7,354 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Robins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.4%), Black (18.2%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Robins (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 Robins mean?
Derived from the given name Robert, meaning "bright fame," or referring to someone who lived near a robins' nest. 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 Robins (3.40 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 common is the surname Robins?
Want to know how common the surname Robins is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.