2000
#4,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,880
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.92
Rare Last name
Robson
Son of Rob, a diminutive of Robert, meaning "bright fame."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,964 Americans carry the last name Robson. That puts it at #4,396 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,237 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Robson 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 Robson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.0K
1 in 38,237
Census rank
#4,396
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,817 bearers of the surname Robson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4396th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Robson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Robson
The surname Robson is an English patronymic name derived from the personal name Robert. It originated in the north of England, particularly in Northumberland and Durham, during the 12th century. The name can be traced back to the Old French name Robert, which was a Norman variation of the Germanic name Rodbert, meaning "bright renown."
Robson was a common surname in medieval England, and it appears in various historical records from that era. One of the earliest known mentions of the name Robson is in the Pipe Rolls of Northumberland from 1195, where a Robert Robson is listed as a landowner.
In the 13th century, the surname Robson can be found in the Feet of Fines, legal records of land transfers, for counties like Northumberland and Yorkshire. This suggests that the Robson family held significant landholdings in these areas during that period.
The Robson name is also documented in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like survey of landowners in England. This record includes references to individuals such as William Robson in Berkshire and Richard Robson in Oxfordshire.
One notable historical figure with the surname Robson was Sir Thomas Robson (c. 1530-1598), an English politician and landowner from Northumberland. He served as a Member of Parliament and held positions such as High Sheriff of Northumberland.
Another prominent individual was Charles Robson (1598-1638), an English clergyman and academic who served as the President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, from 1629 until his death.
In the 18th century, Jonathan Robson (1737-1823) was a distinguished English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Brunswick Theatre and the former Surrey County Gaol.
The Robson surname has also been associated with notable literary figures, such as William Robson (1785-1863), an English author and dramatist who wrote plays and novels in the early 19th century.
In the 20th century, Sir Bobby Robson (1933-2009) was a highly respected English footballer and manager who played for various clubs, including West Bromwich Albion and England's national team, and later managed teams like Ipswich Town, England, and Newcastle United.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Robson
Among Census respondents with the surname Robson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Robson 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 Robson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 6,938
- Two or more races3.4% · 267
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 266
- Black or African American3.0% · 233
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 83
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Robson
Robson 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
#4,368
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,137
+257 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 2.76
Rank movement Down 203 places
2020
#4,396
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,817
-320 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 2.62
Rank movement Down 28 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,165 | 7,880 | 2.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,368 | 8,137 | 2.76 | +257 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 203 places |
| 2020 | #4,396 | 7,817 | 2.62 | -320 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 28 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 Robson 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 | #4,368 | #4,396 | -0.6% |
| Count | 8,137 | 7,817 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.76 | 2.62 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Robson bearers went from 8,137 to 7,817 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 28 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,368 to #4,396.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Robson
FAQ
Robson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Robson?
Name Census estimates that about 8,964 living Americans carry the surname Robson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,237 residents.
How common is Robson?
Robson ranks #4,396 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.62 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 7,817 people with the surname Robson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,964), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.62 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 Robson.
Has Robson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Robson went from 8,137 recorded bearers to 7,817. That is a decrease of 320 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,368 to #4,396.
What does the Census say about the background of Robson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Robson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Robson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (6,938 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Robson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Robson (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 Robson mean?
Son of Rob, a diminutive of Robert, meaning "bright fame." 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 Robson (2.62 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 are called Robson?
You can see how many people have the surname Robson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.