Robinson
Masculine · “son of Robin”
Robinson is an English surname meaning son of Robin, and Robin was the medieval pet form of Robert — so the name is two diminutives and a possessive stacked on a Germanic compound.
How old is the name Robinson?
Robinson first appears in US birth records in 1900 — 125 years ago. The typical Robinson alive today was born around 1992, making them about 33 years old. About 2,500 people named Robinson are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Robinson most popular?
Robinson peaked in 1900, reaching #1050 nationally. Today it ranks #3583, 2,533 places below that high. See the whole 1900 chart.
Where it comes from
From Hrodberht to Robinson
The story of Robinson
Robert came to England with the Normans and became one of the commonest medieval names, producing Robin, Rob, Dob and Hob and a whole set of surnames from each. Robinson is among the most widespread. It reached America with English settlement and appears in nineteenth-century given-name records in real numbers, part of the American habit of using surnames in front — helped later by a baseball player who broke the color line.
Meaning
son of Robin, that is, of Robert
From Germanic hrod, fame, and beraht, bright, giving Robert; medieval French and English made Robin of it with the -in diminutive, and English added son.
How the name formed
- Hrodberht
- Robert
- Robin
- Robinson
Related forms: Robertson · Robin · Rupprecht
Pronouncing Robinson
ROB-in-suhn
Three syllables, first stressed. There is no variation.
Nicknames for Robinson
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1900
- Most boys named
- 201362 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1050reached in 1900
- Change vs 2023
- −26.2%31 in 2025, from 42
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Robinson in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Robertson in English — related form
- Robin in French — related form
- Rupprecht in German — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York, Texas.
Robinsons among us
people named Robinson are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 55,099 born in 2025 was named Robinson
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Robinson sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Robinson is headed
Robinson should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Robinson beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Robinson in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled meaning with a documented Germanic origin and a thousand years of use.
- Robin and Rob are both complete names in their own right.
- Genuine nineteenth-century American use behind it.
- The castaway novel and the baseball player are both strong associations.
- Nine letters and three syllables is a fair amount for early handwriting.
- It reads as a surname very strongly, more so than most surname-names.
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What they receive
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Robinson
Masculine · #3583 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Robinsons are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,500 people named Robinson are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Robinson in 2025?
- Robinson ranks #3583 among US boy names in 2025, with 31 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Robinson?
- About 1 in every 55,099 US boys born in 2025 was named Robinson — 31 in all.
- Will my child share the name Robinson with classmates?
- Robinson will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Robinson
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Geoffrey#3583 · Kimani#3583 · Emre#3583 · Yoan#3583 · Anirudh#3583 · Sutter#3583 · Kristofer#3583 · Heber#3583
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Robinson? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Robinson and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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