NameCensus.

UK surname

Robotham

An English surname derived from an obsolete word meaning a robotic man or automaton.

In the 1881 census there were 553 people recorded with the Robotham surname, ranking it #6,244 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 690, ranked #7,790, down from #6,244 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Aston-on-Trent, Stafford St Mary and St Chad, Tillington and St Werburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Southwark, Rugby and Chesterfield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Robotham is 856 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 24.8%.

1881 census count

553

Ranked #6,244

Modern count

690

2016, ranked #7,790

Peak year

1911

856 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Robotham had 553 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,244 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 690 in 2016, ranked #7,790.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 856 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Robotham surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Robotham surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Robotham 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 398 #6,057
1861 historical 392 #6,536
1881 historical 553 #6,244
1891 historical 563 #6,744
1901 historical 708 #6,230
1911 historical 856 #5,182
1997 modern 704 #7,217
1998 modern 757 #7,041
1999 modern 759 #7,078
2000 modern 743 #7,154
2001 modern 727 #7,146
2002 modern 740 #7,180
2003 modern 714 #7,261
2004 modern 722 #7,213
2005 modern 701 #7,338
2006 modern 715 #7,236
2007 modern 715 #7,308
2008 modern 708 #7,416
2009 modern 724 #7,434
2010 modern 748 #7,387
2011 modern 735 #7,431
2012 modern 734 #7,351
2013 modern 730 #7,492
2014 modern 730 #7,534
2015 modern 705 #7,679
2016 modern 690 #7,790

Geography

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Where Robothams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Aston-on-Trent, Stafford St Mary and St Chad, Tillington, St Werburgh, Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Southwark, Rugby, Chesterfield and Erewash. 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 Aston-on-Trent Derbyshire
2 Stafford St Mary and St Chad, Tillington Staffordshire
3 St Werburgh Derbyshire
4 Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos Norfolk
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Southwark 025 Southwark
2 Rugby 010 Rugby
3 Chesterfield 001 Chesterfield
4 Chesterfield 005 Chesterfield
5 Erewash 004 Erewash

Forenames

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First names often paired with Robotham

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Robotham

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Robotham, 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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Robotham surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Robotham household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Robotham is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Robotham 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

Robotham falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Robotham is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Robotham

The surname Robotham is of English origin, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is thought to have derived from a place name, possibly a combination of the Old English words "rod" (a clearing) and "ham" (a homestead or village), suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name lived in a hamlet or settlement located in a cleared area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1195, where it appears as "Roboteham." This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 12th century.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, variations in spelling were common, with the name appearing as "Robotham," "Robottham," and "Robotteham" in various records and manuscripts from counties like Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not explicitly mention the surname Robotham. However, it does record several place names that may have contributed to the formation of the surname, such as "Rodburne" (Rodbourne) and "Rodewelle" (Rodwell).

One of the earliest documented individuals bearing the Robotham name was Robert de Robotham, a landowner in Cheshire who was mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1327.

Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Robotham (c. 1460 - 1533), a prominent lawyer and Member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII. He served as a Justice of the Common Pleas and was knighted in 1516.

In the 16th century, William Robotham (c. 1520 - 1592) was a successful merchant and alderman in the city of York. He was known for his philanthropic efforts and contributed to the construction of several public buildings.

During the English Civil War, Colonel John Robotham (c. 1600 - 1660) was a staunch Royalist who fought alongside King Charles I's forces. He was captured at the Battle of Worcester in 1651 and later pardoned after the Restoration.

One of the more recent historical figures with the Robotham surname was Mary Robotham (1779 - 1853), a prominent Quaker activist and philanthropist from Lancashire. She was involved in various social reform movements, including the abolition of slavery and the promotion of education for the underprivileged.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Robotham families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Robotham 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. Staffordshire leads with 154 Robothams recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.46x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 154 8.46x
Warwickshire 87 6.40x
Derbyshire 59 6.99x
Lancashire 40 0.62x
Middlesex 39 0.72x
Norfolk 37 4.46x
Glamorgan 34 3.62x
Nottinghamshire 19 2.61x
Surrey 19 0.72x
Leicestershire 16 2.68x
Herefordshire 9 4.07x
Monmouthshire 8 2.05x
Worcestershire 5 0.71x
Durham 4 0.25x
Lincolnshire 4 0.46x
Yorkshire 4 0.07x
Caernarfonshire 3 1.38x
Cheshire 3 0.25x
Cornwall 2 0.33x
Oxfordshire 2 0.60x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.29x
Dorset 1 0.28x
Hampshire 1 0.09x
Sussex 1 0.11x
Westmorland 1 0.84x

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 50 Robothams recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.03x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 50 11.03x
Llantwit Vairdre 23 217.80x
Aston 21 5.61x
Stafford St Mary 21 81.46x
Stibbard 20 2298.85x
Stoke Upon Trent 20 10.36x
Heigham 14 31.45x
Toxteth Park 12 5.54x
Willenhall 12 35.19x
Burton Extra 11 105.36x
Harborne 11 18.85x
Castleton 10 15.64x
Derby St Werburgh 10 20.51x
Croft 8 754.72x
Panteg 8 130.29x
Shoreditch London 8 3.42x
Stanton 8 1379.31x
Claylane 7 59.63x
Southwark St George Martyr 7 6.45x
Walsall Borough 7 49.54x
Walsall Foreign 7 7.44x
Whitchurch 7 137.80x
Broughton In Salford 6 10.25x
Derby St Alkmund 6 23.71x
Greasley 6 36.59x
Lambeth 6 1.28x
Newborough 6 500.00x
Normanton 6 84.15x
Radcliffe On Trent 6 582.52x
St Mary Abchurch 6 6000.00x
Alvaston 5 207.47x
Bow London 5 7.28x
Drayton Bassett 5 609.76x
Glossop Dale 5 12.64x
Leominster Out 5 240.38x
St Pancras London 5 1.15x
Tamworth 5 51.33x
Wardleworth 5 13.67x
Burton Upon Trent 4 9.39x
Eardisley 4 250.00x
Hackney London 4 1.32x
Leicester St Margaret 4 2.74x
Newbottle 4 45.66x
Shardlow 4 250.00x
St Luke London 4 4.62x
Staveley 4 26.68x
Stone 4 17.17x
Waterfall 4 519.48x
Bilston 3 8.50x
Edgbaston 3 7.11x
Handsworth 3 6.68x
Hillmorton 3 123.46x
Hoole 3 66.67x
Kingston On Thames 3 4.75x
Kniveton 3 600.00x
Leamington Priors 3 8.96x
Llandudno 3 38.56x
Middlesbrough 3 4.31x
Radford 3 8.12x
Swarkeston 3 769.23x
Uttoxeter 3 32.19x
West Derby 3 1.60x
Barrow Upon Trent 2 307.69x
Bayards Leap 2 222.22x
Betley 2 131.58x
Castle Church 2 18.28x
Castle Donnington 2 40.32x
Cauldon 2 333.33x
Colwich 2 46.19x
East Dereham 2 19.08x
Fazeley 2 60.42x
Islington London 2 0.38x
Kings Norton 2 3.17x
Neithrop 2 17.86x
Rugby 2 10.87x
Snenton 2 7.00x
Solihull 2 20.45x
St Sepulchre London 2 25.32x
Stourbridge 2 11.03x
Wolverhampton 2 1.43x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 41
William 36
George 21
Charles 16
Thomas 16
Arthur 12
Henry 10
Joseph 9
James 8
Alfred 6
Frederick 6
Samuel 5
Albert 4
Ambrose 4
Edward 4
Harry 4
Richard 4
Ernest 3
Herbert 3
Alpheus 2
Edwin 2
Evan 2
Francis 2
Robert 2
Walter 2
Arnold 1
Bertie 1
Chales 1
Chas. 1
Clifford 1
Dudley 1
Edmond 1
Erny 1
F.W. 1
Frank 1
Harold 1
Isaac 1
Jas. 1
Jas.Henry 1
Jesse 1
Jonathan 1
Martin 1
Nathaniel 1
Norman 1
Oliver 1
Percy 1
Regineld 1
Sidney 1
Thos. 1
Wm.H.F. 1

FAQ

Robotham surname: questions and answers

How common was the Robotham surname in 1881?

In 1881, 553 people were recorded with the Robotham surname. That placed it at #6,244 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Robotham surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 690 in 2016. That gives Robotham a modern rank of #7,790.

What does the Robotham surname mean?

An English surname derived from an obsolete word meaning a robotic man or automaton.

What does the Robotham map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Robotham 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.