2000
#159
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 150,299
First available Census row
Per 100,000 55.72
Common Last name
Robertson
An anglicized form of the Scottish patronymic surname meaning "son of Robert."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 168,144 Americans carry the last name Robertson. That puts it at #185 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 49.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,038 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Robertson surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Robertson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
168K
1 in 2,038
Census rank
#185
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
49.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
147K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 146,630 bearers of the surname Robertson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 49.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 185th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Robertson, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.7%. The next largest groups are Black (20.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Robertson
The surname Robertson is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Old English words "rod" meaning "cleared land" and "bert" meaning "bright" or "distinguished". It was originally an occupational surname given to a person who cleared land for agricultural use or who lived on newly cleared land.
In the 12th and 13th centuries, the name was first recorded in various spellings such as Roberton, Robartson, and Roberdson, primarily in the Scottish Borders and Lothian regions. One of the earliest recorded instances was in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which listed people who swore fealty to King Edward I of England, including Thomas de Roberton from Berwickshire.
The Robertson surname is closely associated with Clan Donnachaidh, a Highland Scottish clan that traces its roots to the 13th century. The clan's territories were centered around Atholl and Perthshire, and many Robertsons can trace their lineage back to this clan.
Notable historical figures with the surname Robertson include:
1. William Robertson (1721-1793), a Scottish historian and principal of the University of Edinburgh, best known for his work "The History of America".
2. Sir William Robertson (1860-1933), a British Army officer who served as the Chief of the Imperial General Staff during World War I.
3. Archibald Robertson (1765-1835), a Scottish-American merchant and politician who served as a United States Representative from Virginia.
4. Andrew Robertson (born 1994), a Scottish professional footballer who currently plays as a left-back for Liverpool F.C. and the Scottish national team.
5. Pat Robertson (born 1930), an American media mogul, political commentator, and former Baptist minister who founded the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) and the Regent University.
The name Robertson has also been associated with various place names, such as Robertsontown in County Kildare, Ireland, and Robertsonville in Monmouth County, New Jersey, both likely named after individuals with the Robertson surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Robertson
Among Census respondents with the surname Robertson, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.7%. The next largest groups are Black (20.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Robertson bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Robertson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.7% · 103,708
- Black or African American20.0% · 29,381
- Two or more races4.3% · 6,267
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4,970
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1,263
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1,041
Timeline
Historical Census data for Robertson
Robertson appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 153,666
+3,367 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 52.09
Rank movement Down 16 places
2020
#185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 146,630
-7,036 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 49.06
Rank movement Down 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #159 | 150,299 | 55.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #175 | 153,666 | 52.09 | +3,367 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 16 places |
| 2020 | #185 | 146,630 | 49.06 | -7,036 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 10 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Robertson surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #175 | #185 | -5.7% |
| Count | 153,666 | 146,630 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 52.09 | 49.06 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Robertson bearers went from 153,666 to 146,630 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #175 to #185.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Robertson
FAQ
Robertson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Robertson?
Name Census estimates that about 168,144 living Americans carry the surname Robertson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,038 residents.
How common is Robertson?
Robertson ranks #185 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 49.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 49 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 146,630 people with the surname Robertson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (168,144), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 49.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 49.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 49 of them to have the surname Robertson.
Has Robertson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Robertson went from 153,666 recorded bearers to 146,630. That is a decrease of 7,036 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #175 to #185.
What does the Census say about the background of Robertson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Robertson, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.7%. The next largest groups are Black (20.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Robertson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.7% (103,708 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Robertson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.7%), Black (20.0%), Two or More Races (4.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Robertson (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Robertson mean?
An anglicized form of the Scottish patronymic surname meaning "son of Robert." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Robertson (49.06 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Robertson?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.