Given name & surname
Robinson
“son of Robin”
Robinson is a masculine given name.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Robinson goes back to a word meaning “son of Robin.”
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
In English usage, Robinson as a surname has a “son of” formation linked to Robin.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1900. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Robinson through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,921
- 2,921 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2014
- 64 babies
- 2025
- 31
- #3,641 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −18%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 31 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,641 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 18.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 64 in 2014. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (5). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,778 as a first name in 2020; 510,138 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.
Robinson’s family of names
In English usage, Robinson as a surname has a “son of” formation linked to Robin. In English usage, Robinson as a surname has a related form in ROBISON. Robinson has a related form in Robin.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Around the world
Robinson has relatives in 3 languages.
3 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Robinson
- Robinson JeffersAmerican poet (1887–1962)
- Robinson CanóDominican baseball player (born 1982)
- Robinson StéveninFrench actorborn 1981
- Robinson ChalapudColombian cyclistborn 1984
- Robinson ChirinosVenezuelan former baseball player and coachborn 1984
- Robinson ReichelGerman actorborn 1966
- Robinson EllisBritish scholar (1834–1913)
- Robinson FerreiraUruguayan footballerborn 1992
- Robinson OpongUgandan basketball player (born 1989)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Robinson, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Rylan
“from the place where rye is grown”
78% boys · 22% girls
Anderson
“the son of Andrew”
91% boys · 9% girls
Orion
“the huntress; a constellation”
97% boys · 3% girls
Harrison
“son of Harry” · “the son of Harry”
>99% boys
Simon
“God has heard”
>99% boys
Winston
“of the joy stone; from the friendly town”
99% boys · 1% girls
Paxton
“from the peaceful town”
95% boys · 5% girls
Jaxson
“the son of Jack or John”
>99% boys