NameCensus.

UK surname

Robbins

A patronymic surname derived from the given name Robert, meaning "bright fame" or "shining with fame."

In the 1881 census there were 4,688 people recorded with the Robbins surname, ranking it #949 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 7,717, ranked #862, up from #949 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Midsomer Norton, Paulton, Chilcompton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Forest of Dean, Blaenau Gwent and Bristol.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Robbins is 8,322 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 64.6%.

1881 census count

4,688

Ranked #949

Modern count

7,717

2016, ranked #862

Peak year

1999

8,322 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Robbins had 4,688 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #949 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 7,717 in 2016, ranked #862.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 7,637 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Robbins surname distribution map

The map shows where the Robbins surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Robbins surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Robbins over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 2,665 #1,110
1861 historical 2,765 #1,058
1881 historical 4,688 #949
1891 historical 5,325 #880
1901 historical 6,444 #861
1911 historical 7,637 #684
1997 modern 8,053 #790
1998 modern 8,307 #794
1999 modern 8,322 #805
2000 modern 8,267 #809
2001 modern 8,080 #805
2002 modern 8,245 #809
2003 modern 8,045 #808
2004 modern 8,063 #804
2005 modern 7,911 #808
2006 modern 7,882 #809
2007 modern 7,882 #819
2008 modern 7,910 #819
2009 modern 8,076 #825
2010 modern 8,100 #842
2011 modern 7,980 #843
2012 modern 7,875 #831
2013 modern 7,932 #842
2014 modern 7,924 #849
2015 modern 7,790 #857
2016 modern 7,717 #862

Geography

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Where Robbins' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, Midsomer Norton, Paulton, Chilcompton and Walcott, Charlcome. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Forest of Dean, Blaenau Gwent, Bristol, Herefordshire and Stratford-on-Avon. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Midsomer Norton, Paulton, Chilcompton Somerset
5 Walcott, Charlcome Somerset

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Forest of Dean 004 Forest of Dean
2 Blaenau Gwent 007 Blaenau Gwent
3 Bristol 028 Bristol, City of
4 Herefordshire 023 Herefordshire, County of
5 Stratford-on-Avon 009 Stratford-on-Avon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Robbins

These lists show first names that appear often with the Robbins surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Robbins

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Robbins, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Robbins surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Robbins household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Robbins is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Robbins is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Robbins falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Robbins is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Robbins, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Robbins

The surname Robbins originated in England, deriving from the Old French personal name Robin, which was a diminutive of the name Robert. The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the 12th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Robins" and "Robyns." This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

The name Robbins is believed to have initially been an occupational surname, referring to individuals who worked in the trade of dyeing or weaving fabrics with a reddish-brown color known as "robin." This color was derived from the robin bird's distinctive red breast.

During the Middle Ages, the name was also associated with certain place names, such as Robinswood in Gloucestershire and Robinston in Yorkshire. These names likely originated from individuals bearing the surname who resided in or owned land in those areas.

Notable individuals with the surname Robbins include:

1. John Robbins (c. 1585-1644), an English Puritan clergyman and one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. 2. Thomas Robbins (1777-1856), an American Congregational minister and author from Connecticut. 3. Archibald Robbins (1801-1874), an American jurist and politician from New Jersey who served as a United States Senator. 4. Wilbur Robbins (1916-1997), an American pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Athletics. 5. Marlon Robbins (1917-1982), an American singer, actor, and multi-talented performer famous for his roles in Western films.

The surname Robbins has also been associated with various historical figures and events throughout England's history, further solidifying its place as a well-established English surname with deep roots.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Robbins families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Robbins surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 675 Robbins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.48x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 675 1.48x
Warwickshire 575 4.99x
Gloucestershire 435 4.85x
Somerset 425 5.78x
Wiltshire 285 7.05x
Surrey 267 1.20x
Worcestershire 193 3.23x
Kent 176 1.13x
Staffordshire 163 1.06x
Oxfordshire 160 5.67x
Hampshire 127 1.36x
Northamptonshire 127 2.95x
Dorset 106 3.53x
Berkshire 95 2.77x
Yorkshire 94 0.21x
Devon 87 0.91x
Lancashire 69 0.13x
Glamorgan 68 0.85x
Essex 51 0.57x
Herefordshire 47 2.51x
Monmouthshire 46 1.39x
Norfolk 42 0.60x
Buckinghamshire 41 1.48x
Leicestershire 38 0.75x
Cheshire 32 0.32x
Nottinghamshire 32 0.52x
Sussex 32 0.42x
Cornwall 29 0.56x
Shropshire 27 0.68x
Lincolnshire 21 0.29x
Durham 20 0.15x
Hertfordshire 14 0.44x
Cambridgeshire 12 0.41x
Angus 10 0.24x
Brecknockshire 10 1.09x
Midlothian 8 0.13x
Suffolk 7 0.13x
Derbyshire 6 0.08x
Royal Navy 6 1.10x
Denbighshire 5 0.29x
Montgomeryshire 5 0.48x
Flintshire 4 0.33x
Ayrshire 3 0.09x
Bedfordshire 3 0.13x
Aberdeenshire 2 0.05x
Lanarkshire 2 0.01x
Northumberland 2 0.03x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.07x
Stirlingshire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 117 Robbins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.05x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 117 3.05x
Aston 113 3.56x
St Marylebone London 78 3.20x
Kensington London 65 2.56x
Lambeth 65 1.63x
Midsomer Norton 65 93.77x
Wolverhampton 61 5.14x
Paddington London 59 3.51x
Bristol St George 57 13.75x
Leamington Priors 57 20.10x
Walcot 57 14.54x
Almondsbury 56 163.55x
Portsea 52 2.83x
Hackney London 48 1.87x
Devizes St Mary 43 105.24x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 41 4.86x
Camberwell 37 1.27x
Hammersmith London 37 3.29x
St Pancras London 36 0.98x
Islington London 34 0.77x
Evesham St Lawrence 32 100.88x
Chelsea London 25 1.81x
Devizes St James 25 46.54x
Battersea 24 1.43x
Bethnal Green London 24 1.21x
Bermondsey 23 1.69x
Chippenham 23 27.13x
Alveston 22 145.41x
Weston 22 38.88x
Winterborne Houghton 22 562.66x
Calne 21 25.23x
Tipton 21 4.44x
West Ham 21 1.05x
Cheltenham 20 2.89x
Leeds 20 0.78x
Willesden 20 4.64x
Blandford Forum 19 32.10x
Chilcompton 19 188.49x
Cradley 19 35.20x
Kings Norton 19 3.55x
Wimbledon 19 7.60x
Bishops Itchington 18 162.02x
Mile End Old Town 18 2.49x
St Mary Magdalene 18 47.32x
Stratford On Avon 18 28.16x
Weston Super Mare 18 9.69x
Clerkenwell London 17 1.58x
Hornsey 17 2.94x
Kilmersdon 17 46.77x
Kingswinford 17 3.03x
Radford Semele 17 194.73x
Solihull 17 20.51x
Sturminster Marshall 17 135.67x
Toxteth Park 17 0.93x
Walford 17 91.15x
Acton 16 5.97x
Aston Cantlow 16 92.81x
Quinton 16 204.60x
Souldern 16 218.58x
Spitalfields London 16 4.65x
St George Hanover 16 2.68x
West Bromwich 16 1.81x
Yeovil 16 10.70x
Oxford St Thomas 15 11.39x
Stretton On Dunsmore 15 142.18x
Warwick St Mary 15 14.99x
Warwick St Nicholas 15 17.74x
Wednesfield 15 6.61x
Worksop 15 8.21x
Alvescot 14 247.35x
Buckland In Dover 14 27.09x
Dunkerton 14 87.83x
Greenwich 14 1.92x
Hartwell 14 178.57x
Holdenhurst 14 5.70x
Mynyddyslwyn 14 10.74x
Shoreditch London 14 0.71x
Southwark St John 14 10.01x
Pilton 13 41.40x
Walthamstow 13 4.00x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Robbins surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 290
Elizabeth 190
Sarah 165
Emma 91
Alice 87
Jane 83
Eliza 77
Annie 71
Ann 68
Ellen 68
Emily 60
Louisa 56
Florence 45
Hannah 44
Harriet 40
Martha 40
Ada 36
Edith 36
Maria 33
Caroline 31
Charlotte 30
Clara 30
Fanny 26
Lucy 26
Kate 24
Rose 24
Margaret 22
Harriett 19
Agnes 18
Amelia 17
Frances 15
Susan 15
Amy 14
Esther 14
Catherine 13
Laura 13
Minnie 13
Julia 12
Matilda 12
Anne 10
Gertrude 10
Lydia 10
Maud 10
Sophia 10
Elizth. 9
Lizzie 9
Ethel 8
Rosa 8
Ruth 8
Helen 7

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Robbins surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 270
John 228
George 188
Thomas 131
James 112
Henry 88
Charles 87
Joseph 87
Arthur 67
Alfred 65
Albert 51
Frederick 48
Edward 47
Samuel 45
Richard 40
Frank 37
Francis 30
Harry 27
Edwin 25
Walter 23
Herbert 22
Ernest 20
Robert 20
Benjamin 13
Wm. 12
Isaac 11
Sidney 11
David 10
Geo. 10
Daniel 8
Fred 8
Edmund 7
Fredrick 7
Jesse 7
Thos. 7
Louis 6
Mark 6
Oliver 6
Tom 6
Willm. 6
Chas. 5
Eli 5
Job 5
Leonard 5
Percy 5
Peter 5
Phillip 5
Stephen 5
Sydney 5
Hubert 4

FAQ

Robbins surname: questions and answers

How common was the Robbins surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,688 people were recorded with the Robbins surname. That placed it at #949 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Robbins surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 7,717 in 2016. That gives Robbins a modern rank of #862.

What does the Robbins surname mean?

A patronymic surname derived from the given name Robert, meaning "bright fame" or "shining with fame."

What does the Robbins map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Robbins bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.