Language & meaning
Meaning & Irish forms
English English patronymic surname, brought to Ireland chiefly by settlers and officials from England, with a small Gaelicised strand in Mac Roibín.[1][2]
The name is built on the personal name Robin, usually explained as “a diminutive of Robert”. Wikipedia and Woulfe both explain Robin as a pet form of Robert, so Robinson means 'son of little Robert'.[1][2]
Pronunciation
Robinson: ROB-in-sun
Place
Where the Robinsons lived
How common the name was in each county, as a share of the population, in the three surviving full censuses of Ireland. Use the buttons to compare years.
Share of each county's census population. 1926 covers the 26 counties of the Irish Free State only.
Highest concentration · 1901
Armagh
61 per 10,000
764 Robinsons · 3.2× the national share
Highest share, 1901
Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.
Highest concentration · 1911
Armagh
59 per 10,000
708 Robinsons · 3.05× the national share
Highest share, 1911
Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.
Highest concentration · 1926
Westmeath
15 per 10,000
86 Robinsons · 2.16× the national share
Highest share, 1926
Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.
County figures as a table
| County | 1901 | 1911 | 1926 | Per 10k 1901 | Per 10k 1911 | Per 10k 1926 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antrim | 2,737 | 2,817 | — | 60 | 59 | — |
| Armagh | 764 | 708 | — | 61 | 59 | — |
| Carlow | 19 | 21 | 18 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Cavan | 109 | 110 | 77 | 11 | 12 | 9 |
| Clare | 9 | 15 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Cork | 149 | 129 | 87 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Donegal | 265 | 265 | 211 | 15 | 16 | 14 |
| Down | 1,322 | 1,380 | — | 46 | 45 | — |
| Dublin | 678 | 691 | 650 | 15 | 14 | 13 |
| Fermanagh | 280 | 278 | — | 43 | 46 | — |
| Galway | 77 | 76 | 79 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Kerry | 20 | 27 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Kildare | 62 | 78 | 76 | 10 | 12 | 13 |
| Kilkenny | 42 | 36 | 30 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Laois | 21 | 25 | 42 | 4 | 5 | 8 |
| Leitrim | 61 | 50 | 38 | 9 | 8 | 7 |
| Limerick | 25 | 20 | 36 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Londonderry | 366 | 343 | — | 25 | 25 | — |
| Longford | 31 | 24 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 4 |
| Louth | 48 | 47 | 49 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| Mayo | 184 | 204 | 135 | 9 | 11 | 8 |
| Meath | 29 | 37 | 22 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| Monaghan | 87 | 93 | 78 | 12 | 13 | 12 |
| Offaly | 81 | 60 | 49 | 13 | 11 | 9 |
| Roscommon | 39 | 38 | 32 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Sligo | 46 | 51 | 33 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Tipperary | 48 | 62 | 28 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Tyrone | 614 | 564 | — | 41 | 40 | — |
| Waterford | 61 | 88 | 95 | 7 | 11 | 12 |
| Westmeath | 102 | 85 | 86 | 17 | 14 | 15 |
| Wexford | 39 | 49 | 53 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Wicklow | 66 | 37 | 41 | 11 | 6 | 7 |
Local strongholds in 1911
District Electoral Divisions (300+ residents) where Robinsons made up the largest share of the population. In Breagh, Co. Armagh, about one resident in 18 was a Robinson.
| DED | County | Robinsons | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breagh | Armagh | 55 | 5.6% |
| Bracklagh | Galway | 37 | 5.5% |
| Raloo | Antrim | 47 | 4.8% |
| Carrowdore | Down | 75 | 4.5% |
| Garrison | Fermanagh | 29 | 4.1% |
| Mullaghfad | Fermanagh | 17 | 4.0% |
| Slemish | Antrim | 72 | 3.9% |
| Glenarm | Antrim | 99 | 3.9% |
Origins
Septs & territories
Many Irish surnames were adopted independently by unrelated families. These are the distinct Robinson lineages described in the sources.
A surname can point you towards a place. On its own, it cannot establish a pedigree.
Robinson of Rokeby (Barons Rokeby and the Louth baronets)
Armagh, and Rokeby Hall, Co. Louth · Armagh, Louth
A Yorkshire family, the Robinsons of Rokeby, which gave Ireland its 18th-century Archbishop of Armagh, Richard Robinson, created Baron Rokeby in 1777. Burke records the Robinson baronets of Rokeby Hall, Co. Louth, bearing the same arms and motto as the Barons Rokeby.[6][7]
The name over time
History
Son of Robin
Robinson is a patronymic surname that arose in England. It means 'son of Robin', and Robin was a diminutive, or pet form, of Robert. Similar surnames formed in the same way include Robison and Robeson. Because it is an English name, its history in Ireland is mostly the history of English settlers and officials who brought it, rather than of a Gaelic family with a homeland.[1][2]
An Ulster name
Wikipedia notes that in Ireland, Robinson is most common in Ulster. That fits the province's history. The Plantation of Ulster in the early 17th century brought settlers largely from Lowland Scotland and northern England, and English migration to Ulster continued through the 1650s and 1680s, including Quakers from northern England who helped build up the linen trade. No source used here ties particular Robinson families to these schemes, so individual descent has to be traced through local records.[1][8]
Officials of the Crown
Robinsons also came to Ireland as officials. Burke's General Armory records a George and a William Robinson appointed prothonotaries of the Court of Common Pleas in Ireland by patent in 1605. It also records arms granted to William Robinson, paymaster-general of the forces in Ireland, who held several posts of trust under Charles II and William III and came from an old Yorkshire family.[7]
The archbishop who built Armagh
The most influential Robinson in Irish history was Richard Robinson, a younger son of the Rokeby family of Yorkshire. He came to Ireland in 1751 as chaplain to the Lord Lieutenant, the Duke of Dorset, became bishop of Killala and Achonry, then of Kildare, and in 1765 Archbishop of Armagh. He was made Baron Rokeby in 1777. In Armagh he founded a public library in 1771, a county infirmary in 1774 and an observatory in 1790, part of a plan for a university there. John Wesley complained that he cared more for buildings than for souls.[6][9]
Astronomer of Armagh
The archbishop's observatory gave the name a second claim to fame. Thomas Romney Robinson, born in Dublin in 1792 to an English portrait painter, was educated at Belfast Academy and Trinity College Dublin, where he became a fellow at 22. Appointed astronomer at Armagh in 1823, he lived and worked at the observatory until his death in 1882. He is remembered for inventing the four-cup anemometer for measuring wind speed, and for his work with the Earl of Rosse's great telescope at Parsonstown.[10]
Mac Roibín and other Irish forms
Woulfe records two Irish forms connected with the name. Mac Roibín, 'son of Robin', is a Gaelic rendering of the same English name; its English forms include MacRobin and Cribbin as well as Robinson. Robustún or Robusún, which Woulfe dates to at least the 16th century, was an Irish phonetic spelling of the Scottish and English surname Robertson, and could also be anglicised Robinson. The 20th-century republican Séumas Robinson wrote his name Séumas Mac Róibín.[2][5][4]
Places linked to the name
- Armagh, Co. Armagh — Seat of Archbishop Richard Robinson, who founded its public library, infirmary and observatory and is buried in the cathedral.[6][9]
- Armagh Observatory, Co. Armagh — Founded by Archbishop Robinson in 1790 and directed by the astronomer Thomas Romney Robinson from 1823 to 1882.[6][10]
- Rokeby Hall, Co. Louth — Seat of the Robinson baronets recorded by Burke.[7]
Everyday lives
The Robinsons in the census
Who the Robinsons were in the 1901 and 1911 censuses (and 1926 where recorded), set against everyone in Ireland in the same census.
Robinsons All of Ireland Ireland's figure marked on the Robinson bar
Religion, 1911
Irish language
153 Robinsons spoke Irish only in 1901.
Reading & writing
Family life, 1911
Commonest occupations
Adults aged 15+, 1901 and 1911 combined.
| Farmer | 1,106 |
| Farmer's son | 417 |
| General labourer | 251 |
| Farmer's daughter | 245 |
| House keeper | 197 |
| Seamstress | 181 |
| Labourer | 168 |
| Agricultural labourer | 139 |
| Farm servant | 134 |
| Linen weaver | 120 |
Born outside Ireland
5.0% of Robinsons in 1911 gave a birthplace outside Ireland.
| England | 297 |
| Scotland | 94 |
| United States | 10 |
| Australia & NZ | 6 |
| India | 6 |
| Canada | 6 |
Median age: 24 in 1901, 25 in 1911.
Given names
First names among the Robinsons
Men and boys
- John1,066
- James877
- William865
- Thomas613
- Robert405
- Samuel364
- Joseph301
- George292
- David195
- Patrick184
Women and girls
- Mary881
- Margaret428
- Jane426
- Sarah414
- Elizabeth395
- Annie367
- Maggie258
- Ellen253
- Lizzie224
- Agnes190
All three censuses combined. Top five in 1926: John, James, William, Thomas, Patrick; Mary, Margaret, Annie, Elizabeth, Bridget.
Spellings
Spellings
This page combines the spellings below, which census enumerators and families used for the same name.
| Spelling | 1901 | 1911 | 1926 | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robinson | 8,481 | 8,508 | 2,083 | Search |
Related forms
- Robison, Robeson — Closely related English spellings; Burke records a Robison family at Chapelizod, Co. Dublin.[1][7]
- Robbinson, Robbins — Forms Woulfe lists under Mac Roibín.[2]
- MacRobin, Cribbin, Cribbon — Other English forms of Mac Roibín recorded by Woulfe.[2]
- Robertson — A different name, but Woulfe notes its Irish phonetic form Robustún was sometimes anglicised Robinson.[5]
Diaspora
The Robinsons abroad
Emigration carried the name worldwide. In the 2010 United States census:
| Spelling | People | US rank |
|---|---|---|
| Robinson | 529,821 | 30th |
Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 surname file (public domain).
Heraldry
Is there a Robinson coat of arms?
Robinson arms were granted to many unrelated families, so there is no single Robinson crest. Burke's General Armory lists dozens, mostly English. For Ireland it records the Robinson baronets of Rokeby Hall, Co. Louth: on green, a gold chevron with red quatrefoils between three gold bucks, with the motto 'Sola in Deo salus'. It gives different arms, with a red castle on a silver canton, to William Robinson, paymaster-general in Ireland under Charles II and William III.[7]
Websites selling a single “Robinson family crest” are selling a design, not an inheritance. Arms in Ireland belonged to individuals and their heirs, and the Chief Herald of Ireland still grants arms that way today.
People
Notable people named Robinson
- Richard Robinson, 1st Baron Rokeby (1708–1794) Archbishop of Armagh who founded the Armagh Public Library and the Armagh Observatory.
- Thomas Romney Robinson (1792–1882) Dublin-born astronomer, director of the Armagh Observatory and inventor of the cup anemometer.
- Lennox Robinson (1886–1958) Irish dramatist, poet and theatre director closely involved with the Abbey Theatre.
- Séumas Robinson (1890–1961) Irish republican and politician, who also used the Irish form Séumas Mac Róibín.
- Jackie Robinson (1919–1972) American baseball player who broke Major League Baseball's modern colour line with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
- Tim Robinson (1935–2020) English-born writer and cartographer celebrated for his books and maps of Aran and Connemara.
- Smokey Robinson (born 1940) American soul singer, songwriter and record producer.
- Mary Robinson (born 1944) Born Mary Bourke; President of Ireland from 1990 to 1997, the country's first woman president.
- Gerry Robinson (1948–2021) Irish-born business executive who chaired Granada and Allied Domecq, later a television presenter.
- Peter Robinson (born 1948) DUP leader and First Minister of Northern Ireland from 2008 to 2016.
- Gavin Robinson (born 1984) Northern Irish barrister and politician, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party since 2024.
Questions
Questions about the Robinson name
Is Robinson an Irish surname?
Not by origin. Robinson is an English surname, 'son of Robin', that came to Ireland with English settlers and officials, and Wikipedia notes it is commonest in Ulster. A small number of Irish families may have taken it as the English form of Mac Roibín, a Gaelic rendering of the same name, so a long-established Irish Robinson family is not impossible.[1][2]
What is Robinson in Irish?
The usual Irish form is Mac Roibín, 'son of Robin', which Woulfe and the Gaois surname data both connect with Robinson. The republican Séumas Robinson wrote his name Séumas Mac Róibín. Woulfe also records Robustún, an Irish spelling of Robertson that was sometimes anglicised Robinson.[2][3][4][5]
What does the name Robinson mean?
It means 'son of Robin'. Robin was a pet form of Robert, so the surname originally marked someone as the son of a man called Robert. Related surnames formed the same way include Robison and Robeson. The Irish form Mac Roibín, which Woulfe records, carries exactly the same meaning in Irish.[1][2]
How do you pronounce Robinson?
It is said 'ROB-in-sun', with the stress on the first syllable and the last two syllables kept light. Wiktionary gives /ˈɹɒb.ɪn.sən/ for British English, while American speakers usually say the first vowel more openly, /ˈɹɑb.ɪn.sən/, and sometimes reduce the middle vowel, /ˈɹɑb.ən.sən/.[11]
Is there a Robinson family crest or coat of arms?
There is no single Robinson crest. Burke's General Armory records dozens of Robinson coats of arms for separate families, most of them English. In Ireland it records arms for the Robinson baronets of Rokeby Hall, Co. Louth, with the motto 'Sola in Deo salus' ('Safety in God alone'), shared with the Barons Rokeby, and different arms for a paymaster-general of the forces in Ireland.[7]
Where in Ireland is the Robinson surname most common?
In the 1911 census the largest numbers of Robinsons lived in Antrim (2,817), Down (1,380), Armagh (708). Relative to population, the name was most concentrated in Armagh (59 per 10,000), Antrim (59 per 10,000), Fermanagh (46 per 10,000).
How common was the Robinson surname in Ireland?
8,508 people were recorded as Robinson in the 1911 census of Ireland, making it the 76th most common surname. That is roughly 0.2% of the population, or 1 person in 515.
Looking for a Robinson ancestor?
Search every Robinson household in the 1901, 1911 and 1926 censuses, with free images of the original forms.
Evidence
Sources
- Wikipedia, Robinson (name) (2026)
- Patrick Woulfe, Mac Roibín, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Gaois research group, Dublin City University, Sloinnte: Irish surname data (version 2) (2022). Cluster 'Roibín': Mac Roibín; Robinson.
- Wikipedia, Séumas Robinson (Irish republican) (2026)
- Patrick Woulfe, Robustún, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Wikipedia, Richard Robinson, 1st Baron Rokeby (2026)
- Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales (1884). Entries 'Robinson' (Rokeby Hall, co. Louth; Baron Rokeby; prothonotaries 1605; Paymaster-General in Ireland) and 'Robison (Chapelizod)'.
- Wikipedia, Plantation of Ulster (2026)
- Wikipedia, Armagh Robinson Library (2026)
- Wikipedia, Thomas Romney Robinson (2026)
- Wiktionary, Robinson (2026)
- Census of Ireland 1901 and 1911, and Census of Population 1926, National Archives of Ireland. Counts compiled by surnames.ie from the irishcensus.com transcription (dataset 20260831130351). 1926 data © National Archives of Ireland, CC BY 4.0.
How we compile these figures: methodology.