NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Robina

A feminine name derived from the French word for a type of tree.

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2008. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Robina is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Robina popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2008 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5545, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 3 births.

This profile covers 15 England and Wales registrations across 5 recorded years from 1996 to 2008. 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 100% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 28 living people in the UK are called Robina. 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 2009 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Robina ranked #5545 for girls in England and Wales in 2008, with 3 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 1996, when 3 girls were registered as Robina.
  • Robina ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #453 in 1978.
  • About 28 living people in the UK are estimated to have Robina as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#5545

2008

Births in 2008

3

Latest year

Peak year

1996

3 births

Estimated living

28

2026

Meaning

What does Robina mean?

The name Robina is derived from the Latin word "robur," which means strength or oak tree. It is a feminine form of the masculine name Robin, which has its roots in the French name "Robin" or "Robert," meaning bright fame. The name Robina gained popularity in the Middle Ages, particularly in England and Scotland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Robina dates back to the 13th century, where it was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Northumberland, an administrative record from England. During this period, the name was often associated with nobility and aristocracy.

In the 16th century, Robina was a relatively common name among the Scottish upper class. One notable figure was Robina Napier, born in 1558, who was a Scottish noblewoman and the wife of Sir James Melville, a prominent diplomat and courtier.

The name Robina also appeared in literature, such as in the 1818 novel "Robina Meadows" by Mary Brunton, a Scottish novelist. This novel helped popularize the name in the early 19th century.

Another notable figure with the name Robina was Robina Addison (1835-1916), a Scottish-born poet and writer who published several works, including "Poems and Translations" and "Memoir of Lady Anna Mackenzie."

In the late 19th century, Robina Hardwick (1842-1912) was a British philanthropist and social reformer who dedicated her life to improving the living conditions of the working class in Manchester, England.

Robina Fergusson (1907-1996) was a Scottish artist and painter known for her landscapes and still-life paintings. Her works are displayed in various galleries and museums across Scotland.

The name Robina has been associated with strength, resilience, and a connection to nature, reflecting its origins in the Latin word "robur" and its association with oak trees.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Robina over time

The chart below shows babies named Robina registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2008. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Robina, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2008, compared with 3 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Robina
01223199620022008

Decades

Robina by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Robina 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
2000s #4959 6 2
1990s #3822 9 3

Geography

Where Robina is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Robina. 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.

Robina ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #453 in 1978.

Scotland
4

Across the UK

Robina in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#453 in 1978

3 years of NRS records, 13 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Robina

  • Robina Williams

    novelist

    English novelist

    2000-

  • Robina McNeil

    archaeologist

    archaeologist (1950-2007)

    1950-2007

  • Robina McGregor

    UK woman doctor trained in Edinburgh

    1874-1960

  • Robina Nicol

    photographer; activist; suffragist

    New Zealand temperance campaigner, suffragist and photographer (1861-1942)

    1861-1942

  • Robina Forrester Hardy

    writer; poet

    Scottish poet

    1835-1891

Related

Names similar to Robina

FAQ

Robina: questions and answers

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

In 2008, Robina was ranked #5545 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.

When was Robina most popular?

The peak year on record was 1996, with 3 babies registered as Robina in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Robina?

A feminine name derived from the French word for a type of tree.

How many people are called Robina in the UK?

A total of 15 babies have been registered as Robina across the 5 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 13 more in Scotland.

Where is Robina most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Robina ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #453 in 1978. 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.