Robins last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Robins

Derived from the given name Robert, meaning "bright fame," or referring to someone who lived near a robins' nest.

Robins, 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 Robins surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Robins in America

Robins is the 3322nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Robins surname appeared 10,797 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Robins.

We can also compare 2010 data for Robins 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 3322 3139 5.66%
Count 10,797 10,530 2.50%
Proportion per 100k 3.66 3.90 -6.35%

The history of the last name 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Robins

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

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 Robins was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 75.19% 8,118
Non-Hispanic Black Only 18.78% 2,028
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 1.00% 108
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.45% 49
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.32% 250
Hispanic Origin 2.26% 244

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 Robins has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 75.19% 76.45% -1.66%
Black 18.78% 18.93% -0.80%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.00% 0.64% 43.90%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.45% 0.50% -10.53%
Two or More Races 2.32% 1.61% 36.13%
Hispanic 2.26% 1.87% 18.89%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Robins last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 10, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/robins-surname-popularity/.

"Robins last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/robins-surname-popularity/. Accessed 10 October, 2024

Robins last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/robins-surname-popularity/.

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