Given name & surname
Robertson
“one who is bright with fame”
Robertson is a variant of Robert. One German interpretation is “one who is bright with fame.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Robertson is a variant of Robert. One German interpretation is “one who is bright with fame.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Robertson is a variant of Robert. Robert has been associated with Germanic and English naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Robertson as a surname has a “son of” formation linked to Robert.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1916. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Robertson is a variant of Robert. The history of Robert gives this family its wider story. Robert’s historical associations include three kings of Scotland, notably Robert the Bruce.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Robertson through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 516
- 516 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1964
- 16 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −56%
- Cooling
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2022. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 16 in 1964. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 635 as a first name in 2020; 146,630 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Robertson’s family of names
In English usage, Robertson as a surname has a “son of” formation linked to Robert. Robertson has a related form in Robert.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Robertson
- Robertson DaviesCanadian novelist (1913-1995)
- Robertson StewartNew Zealand industrialist and exporter1913–2007
- Lee JohnsonAmerican politician1930–2009
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Robertson, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Ron
“song of Joy”
>99% boys
Robby
“one who is bright with fame”
>99% boys
Reinaldo
“the king's advisor”
>99% boys
Daron
“the great one” · “from a small rocky hill”
>99% boys
Theron
“a great hunter”
99% boys · 1% girls
Ritchie
“a powerful ruler”
>99% boys
Vinson
“the son of Vincent”
>99% boys
Roderick
Roderick has Germanic roots, with later Scottish and Welsh uses that follow different paths.
>99% boys