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

Robotham, 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 Robotham surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Robotham in America

Robotham is the 40261st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Robotham surname appeared 544 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Robotham.

We can also compare 2010 data for Robotham 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 Robotham

The surname Robotham is of English origin, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is thought to have derived from a place name, possibly a combination of the Old English words "rod" (a clearing) and "ham" (a homestead or village), suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name lived in a hamlet or settlement located in a cleared area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1195, where it appears as "Roboteham." This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 12th century.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, variations in spelling were common, with the name appearing as "Robotham," "Robottham," and "Robotteham" in various records and manuscripts from counties like Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not explicitly mention the surname Robotham. However, it does record several place names that may have contributed to the formation of the surname, such as "Rodburne" (Rodbourne) and "Rodewelle" (Rodwell).

One of the earliest documented individuals bearing the Robotham name was Robert de Robotham, a landowner in Cheshire who was mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1327.

Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Robotham (c. 1460 - 1533), a prominent lawyer and Member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII. He served as a Justice of the Common Pleas and was knighted in 1516.

In the 16th century, William Robotham (c. 1520 - 1592) was a successful merchant and alderman in the city of York. He was known for his philanthropic efforts and contributed to the construction of several public buildings.

During the English Civil War, Colonel John Robotham (c. 1600 - 1660) was a staunch Royalist who fought alongside King Charles I's forces. He was captured at the Battle of Worcester in 1651 and later pardoned after the Restoration.

One of the more recent historical figures with the Robotham surname was Mary Robotham (1779 - 1853), a prominent Quaker activist and philanthropist from Lancashire. She was involved in various social reform movements, including the abolition of slavery and the promotion of education for the underprivileged.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Robotham

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

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

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

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