NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Robby

A diminutive form of Robert, a Germanic name meaning "bright renown".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Robby is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Robby popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5119, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2007, with 8 births.

This profile covers 97 England and Wales registrations across 20 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 38% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 99 living people in the UK are called Robby. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Robby ranked #5119 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 3 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2007, when 8 boys were registered as Robby.
  • Robby ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #422 in 1998.
  • About 99 living people in the UK are estimated to have Robby as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#5119

2024

Births in 2024

3

Latest year

Peak year

2007

8 births

Estimated living

99

2026

Meaning

What does Robby mean?

The name Robby is a diminutive form of the name Robert, which is derived from the Germanic name Hrodebert. This name is composed of the elements "hrod" meaning "fame" and "berht" meaning "bright." The name Robert was introduced to Britain by the Normans after their conquest in 1066.

One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Robert can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name gained popularity in medieval Europe, particularly in France and England, and was borne by several prominent figures in history.

One of the most famous historical figures with the name Robert was Robert the Bruce, the King of Scots who led the Scots to victory over the English in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. He was born in 1274 and died in 1329.

Another notable Robert was Robert Guiscard, a Norman adventurer who became the Duke of Apulia and Calabria in southern Italy in the 11th century. He played a significant role in the Norman conquest of southern Italy and Sicily.

In literature, the name Robert is associated with the character of Robin Hood, the legendary outlaw hero of medieval English folklore. While the name Robin is a diminutive of Robert, it is unclear whether the character was based on a real person named Robert.

Robert Hooke was an English natural philosopher, architect, and polymath who lived in the 17th century (1635-1703). He made significant contributions to various fields, including physics, astronomy, and architecture.

Robert Louis Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer known for his works such as "Treasure Island," "Kidnapped," and "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." He lived from 1850 to 1894.

The diminutive form Robby emerged as a popular nickname for Robert, particularly in the 20th century. It has been used as a standalone name, although it is less common than the full form Robert.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Robby over time

The chart below shows babies named Robby registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Robby, the clearest high point is 2007. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2024, compared with 8 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Robby
02468199620102024

Decades

Robby by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Robby was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #4285 8 2
2010s #3641 30 6
2000s #2938 40 8
1990s #2162 19 4

Geography

Where Robby is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Robby. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Robby ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #422 in 1998.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Robby in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#422 in 1998

1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Robby

  • Robby McCrorie

    association football player

    Scottish association football player (born 1998)

    1998-

  • Robby Swift

    windsurfer

    British Professional Windsurfer (born 1984)

    1984-

Related

Names similar to Robby

FAQ

Robby: questions and answers

How popular is the name Robby in the UK right now?

In 2024, Robby was ranked #5119 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.

When was Robby most popular?

The peak year on record was 2007, with 8 babies registered as Robby in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Robby?

A diminutive form of Robert, a Germanic name meaning "bright renown".

How many people are called Robby in the UK?

A total of 97 babies have been registered as Robby across the 20 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.

Where is Robby most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Robby ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #422 in 1998. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.