Robles last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Robles

A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near an oak grove or forest.

Robles, 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 Robles surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Robles in America

Robles is the 386th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Robles surname appeared 82,458 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 28 people would have the surname Robles.

We can also compare 2010 data for Robles 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 386 489 -23.54%
Count 82,458 61,619 28.93%
Proportion per 100k 27.95 22.84 20.12%

The history of the last name Robles

The surname Robles originated in Spain, deriving from the Spanish word "roble," meaning "oak tree." It is believed to have initially been used as a descriptive surname, referring to people who lived near or were associated with oak trees or oak forests.

The earliest recorded instances of the Robles surname can be traced back to the 13th century in the region of Castile, Spain. It is found in historical records such as the "Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla," a 14th-century manuscript that documented landholdings and noble families in the region.

During the Middle Ages, the Robles surname was particularly prevalent in the provinces of Burgos and Palencia, where oak forests were abundant. It is possible that the name was initially associated with individuals who worked in forestry or woodcutting professions.

One notable historical figure with the Robles surname was Fernando de Robles, a Spanish explorer and conquistador born in 1470. He accompanied Hernán Cortés on the conquest of Mexico and played a significant role in the Spanish colonization of the Americas.

In the 16th century, Juan de Robles was a prominent Spanish architect and sculptor who designed numerous churches and public buildings in Spain, including the façade of the Alcázar of Toledo.

During the 17th century, Pedro de Robles y Guzmán was a Spanish nobleman and military leader who served as the Governor of the Philippines from 1635 to 1637.

In the 19th century, José María Robles Galindo (1824-1903) was a Mexican lawyer, politician, and writer who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Interior under President Benito Juárez.

Another notable figure was María Teresa Robles (1899-1957), a Spanish novelist and playwright known for her works that explored societal issues and women's rights.

The Robles surname has been carried across various regions of Spain and has also spread to Latin American countries, particularly Mexico and Argentina, due to Spanish colonization and migration patterns.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Robles

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

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 Robles was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 5.07% 4,181
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.43% 355
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 2.05% 1,690
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.36% 297
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.30% 247
Hispanic Origin 91.78% 75,680

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 5.07% 5.88% -14.79%
Black 0.43% 0.51% -17.02%
Asian and Pacific Islander 2.05% 2.05% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.36% 0.44% -20.00%
Two or More Races 0.30% 0.53% -55.42%
Hispanic 91.78% 90.58% 1.32%

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Robles, 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!

"Robles last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 9, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/robles-surname-popularity/.

"Robles last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/robles-surname-popularity/. Accessed 9 October, 2024

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

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