Given name & surname
Roby
“one who is bright with fame”
Roby is a variant of Rob. In English use, Rob carries the interpretation “one who is bright with fame.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Roby is a variant of Rob. In English use, Rob carries the interpretation “one who is bright with fame.”
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Roby as a surname has a patronymic derivation linked to Robert.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1884. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Roby through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,599
- 2,481 boys · 118 girls
- Most popular year
- 1964
- 50 babies
- 2025
- 7
- #10,458 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −14%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 10,458 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 50 in 1964. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,625 as a first name in 2020; 9,070 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.
Roby’s family of names
In English usage, Roby as a surname has a patronymic derivation linked to Robert. Roby has a related form in Rob.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Roby
- Roby Lakatosjazz violinist, composer (1965–)
- Roby YoungIsraeli footballerborn 1942
- Roby ZucchiItalian water skierborn 1951
- Roby HentgesLuxembourgish cyclistborn 1940
- Roby JärventieFinnish ice hockey playerborn 2002
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Roby, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Ron
“song of Joy”
>99% boys
Ritchie
“a powerful ruler”
>99% boys
Rusty
“a red-haired woman; a fiery woman” · “one who has red hair or a ruddy complexion”
98% boys · 2% girls
Rock
“one who is calm; restful”
>99% boys
Rodney
“from the famous one's island” · “from the island's clearing”
>99% boys
Richie
“a powerful ruler”
96% boys · 4% girls
Reinaldo
“the king's advisor”
>99% boys
Rich
“a powerful ruler”
>99% boys