UK boy's name
Robson
The name of English origin meaning "Robert's son".
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.
Robson is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Robson popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3688, with 5 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 84 births.
This profile covers 574 England and Wales registrations across 28 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 6% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 582 living people in the UK are called Robson. 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
- • Robson ranked #3688 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 5 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 84 boys were registered as Robson.
- • Robson ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #375 in 2000.
- • About 582 living people in the UK are estimated to have Robson as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3688
2024
Births in 2024
5
Latest year
Peak year
1996
84 births
Estimated living
582
2026
Meaning
What does Robson mean?
Robson is a masculine given name with origins that can be traced back to the Middle Ages in England. It is derived from the Old English words "rob" and "sunu," which together mean "son of Rob" or "son of Robert." The name Robert itself has Germanic roots and means "bright renown" or "bright fame."
During the Middle Ages, the use of surnames became more widespread in England, and patronymic surnames, which identified a person as the son of someone else, were common. Robson emerged as a patronymic surname, indicating that the bearer was the son of a man named Robert or Rob.
While Robson was initially used as a surname, over time, it also gained popularity as a given name, particularly in Northern England and Scotland. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Robson can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northumberland in 1268, where a man named William Robson is mentioned.
Historically, the name Robson has been associated with various notable figures. One of the earliest examples is Sir Thomas Robson (c. 1320-1384), an English knight who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. Another notable bearer of the name was George Fenwick Robson (1788-1833), an English poet and essayist known for his contributions to the Romantic literary movement.
In the field of sports, Robson has been a prominent name. Sir Bobby Robson (1933-2009) was an English football player and manager who led the England national team to the semi-finals of the 1990 FIFA World Cup. Paul Robson (1882-1976) was an American bass singer and actor who achieved international fame for his performances in musicals and operas, as well as his activism in the civil rights movement.
Other notable individuals with the name Robson include Stuart Robson (1836-1903), an American actor and comedian who gained popularity in the late 19th century, and Thomas George Robson (1808-1876), an English architect who designed several notable buildings in the North East of England.
While the name Robson has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and cultural exchange. However, its historical roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages, where it emerged as a patronymic surname and later evolved into a given name.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Robson over time
The chart below shows babies named Robson 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 Robson, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 5 births in 2024, compared with 84 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Robson by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Robson 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 | #3007 | 27 | 4 |
| 2010s | #1838 | 134 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1177 | 204 | 10 |
| 1990s | #435 | 209 | 4 |
Geography
Where Robson is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Robson. 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.
Robson ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #375 in 2000.
Across the UK
Robson in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#375 in 2000
4 years of NRS records, 14 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Robson
-
Robson Gilmour
basketball player
Scottish basketball player (born 2002)
2002-
-
Robson Green
actor; singer-songwriter; television presenter; film actor; television actor
British actor and musician
1964-
-
Robson Fisher
head teacher; school teacher
British educationalist and headmaster (1921-2000)
1921-2000
Related
Names similar to Robson
- Ryan 68,692
- Riley 37,992
- Robert 27,462
- Reuben 25,122
- Rhys 24,418
- Reece 24,329
- Rory 21,870
- Roman 16,609
- Ronnie 16,445
- Reggie 14,684
- Rowan 14,371
- Ralph 8,892
FAQ
Robson: questions and answers
How popular is the name Robson in the UK right now?
In 2024, Robson was ranked #3688 for boys in England and Wales, with 5 births registered.
When was Robson most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 84 babies registered as Robson in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Robson?
The name of English origin meaning "Robert's son".
How many people are called Robson in the UK?
A total of 574 babies have been registered as Robson across the 28 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 14 more in Scotland.
Where is Robson most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Robson ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #375 in 2000. 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.