NameCensus.

UK surname

Robus

A surname derived from the Latin adjective "robustus," meaning strong or sturdy.

In the 1881 census there were 97 people recorded with the Robus surname, ranking it #20,127 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 96, ranked #31,684, down from #20,127 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lewisham, London parishes and Dover St James, Dover St Mary. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Somerset, Rother and Shepway.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Robus is 127 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 1.0%.

1881 census count

97

Ranked #20,127

Modern count

96

2016, ranked #31,684

Peak year

1911

127 bearers

Map years

4

1901 to 2006

Key insights

  • Robus had 97 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,127 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 96 in 2016, ranked #31,684.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 127 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities.

Robus surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Robus surname density by area, 2006 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Robus 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 38 #26,502
1861 historical 52 #27,369
1881 historical 97 #20,127
1891 historical 86 #25,951
1901 historical 118 #20,721
1911 historical 127 #19,749
1997 modern 107 #25,924
1998 modern 113 #25,731
1999 modern 116 #25,487
2000 modern 114 #25,717
2001 modern 110 #25,900
2002 modern 107 #26,849
2003 modern 105 #26,940
2004 modern 104 #27,338
2005 modern 99 #28,177
2006 modern 102 #27,926
2007 modern 104 #28,020
2008 modern 109 #27,533
2009 modern 122 #26,220
2010 modern 112 #28,336
2011 modern 112 #28,117
2012 modern 107 #29,017
2013 modern 106 #29,740
2014 modern 107 #29,827
2015 modern 96 #31,624
2016 modern 96 #31,684

Geography

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Where Robus' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lewisham, London parishes, Dover St James, Dover St Mary, Hythe St Leonard, Cheriton, Newington, Saltwood, West Hythe, Burmarsh and Holy Cross, Westgate. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Somerset, Rother and Shepway. 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 Lewisham London (South Districts)
2 London parishes London 3
3 Dover St James, Dover St Mary Kent
4 Hythe St Leonard, Cheriton, Newington, Saltwood, West Hythe, Burmarsh Kent
5 Holy Cross, Westgate Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Somerset 014 South Somerset
2 Rother 004 Rother
3 Shepway 004 Shepway
4 South Somerset 013 South Somerset
5 South Somerset 016 South Somerset

Forenames

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First names often paired with Robus

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Robus

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

Baseline UK

Group

Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities

Nationally, the Robus surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Robus household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Single-person households are common in these neighbourhoods, and these residents are typically divorced rather than never married. A high proportion of residents were born outside the UK in the EU. There are many young adults, some with young children, but relatively few residents are of normal retirement age or over. Although levels of identification with ethnic minorities are in line with the Supergroup average, individuals identifying with Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is more common than average. High long-term disability rates are observed, and unpaid care is more common than in the rest of the Group. The predominant housing types are terraced houses and flats, which are typically part of the social rented sector. This Group is commonly found in coastal areas and (present-day or former) industrial towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Robus is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Robus is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Robus falls in decile 3 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Robus is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Robus

The surname "ROBUS" is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the Old English word "rob", meaning "robust" or "strong", and was likely used as a descriptive nickname for someone of a sturdy or muscular build.

One of the earliest known bearers of this name was John Robus, a landowner mentioned in the Hertfordshire Pipe Rolls of 1292. Another early reference is found in the Yorkshire Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1327, which record a Thomas Robus living in the village of Wakefield.

The surname "ROBUS" has several variant spellings, including Robbus, Robbes, and Robbe, which can be found in various historical records throughout England. Some of these alternate spellings may have originated from different regional dialects or scribal errors in record-keeping.

In the 16th century, the surname appeared in the parish records of Clavering, Essex, where a William Robus was recorded as a landowner in 1562. Around the same time, a Richard Robus was documented in the Subsidy Rolls for Cambridgeshire in 1570.

One notable bearer of the "ROBUS" surname was Sir John Robus, a merchant and alderman in the City of London during the late 16th century. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1594 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I.

Another prominent figure was William Robus, a scholar and clergyman who lived in the 17th century. He was born in Warwickshire in 1610 and later became the Rector of Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. Robus was known for his writings on theology and his efforts to preserve historical records related to Shakespeare.

In the 18th century, the surname "ROBUS" appeared in various parish records across England, including those of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. One noteworthy individual from this period was Thomas Robus, a wealthy landowner and philanthropist born in Gloucestershire in 1720. He funded the construction of several schools and churches in his local community.

As the surname spread across England, it also found its way into other parts of the British Isles, including Scotland and Ireland, where variations such as "Robis" and "Robys" can be found in historical records from the 16th and 17th centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Robus families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Robus 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. Kent leads with 75 Robus' recorded in 1881 and an index of 23.24x.

County Total Index
Kent 75 23.24x
Sussex 14 8.78x
Surrey 5 1.08x
Middlesex 2 0.21x
Staffordshire 1 0.31x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lewisham in Kent leads with 24 Robus' recorded in 1881 and an index of 139.45x.

Place Total Index
Lewisham 24 139.45x
Faversham 10 324.68x
Folkestone 10 159.74x
Lydd 9 1304.35x
Icklesham 8 2857.14x
Iden 6 3333.33x
Ospringe 6 1500.00x
Canterbury Holy Cross 5 1612.90x
Hougham 4 208.33x
Buckland In Dover 3 280.37x
Camberwell 2 3.31x
Dover St Mary Virgin 2 64.10x
Wimbledon 2 38.68x
Canterbury St Paul 1 172.41x
Canterbury St Peter 1 277.78x
Harborne 1 9.78x
Kingston On Thames 1 9.03x
Shoreditch London 1 2.44x
Willesden 1 11.21x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 8
George 6
Henry 6
Edward 4
James 3
John 3
Alfred 2
Charles 2
Frederick 2
Thomas 2
Albert 1
Arthur 1
Atkins 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Frederic 1
Fredrick 1
Thos. 1

FAQ

Robus surname: questions and answers

How common was the Robus surname in 1881?

In 1881, 97 people were recorded with the Robus surname. That placed it at #20,127 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Robus surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 96 in 2016. That gives Robus a modern rank of #31,684.

What does the Robus surname mean?

A surname derived from the Latin adjective "robustus," meaning strong or sturdy.

What does the Robus map show?

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