2000
#1,367
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,785
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.82
Uncommon Last name
Robison
Son of Robin, a diminutive of Robert, meaning "bright fame."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 29,094 Americans carry the last name Robison. That puts it at #1,365 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,781 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Robison 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 Robison with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
29K
1 in 11,781
Census rank
#1,365
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 25,371 bearers of the surname Robison in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1365th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Robison, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Robison
The surname Robison has its origins in medieval Scotland, where it was derived from the old Scottish name Robertson, which translates to "son of Robert." The name Robert itself is derived from the Germanic elements "hrod" (meaning "fame" or "renown") and "berht" (meaning "bright" or "famous").
The Robison surname first emerged in the 12th century, with early recordings found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented Scottish landowners who pledged allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Ayrshire and Berwickshire, where it was often associated with prominent families and landowners.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, a historical record of financial transactions and legal proceedings. One notable entry was that of John Robison, who served as a chamberlain to King David II in 1367.
The earliest recorded spelling variation of the name was "Robisoune," which appeared in the Ragman Rolls of 1296. Other early spellings included "Robysone," "Robisoyn," and "Robysoun."
Over the centuries, the Robison surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was James Robison, a Scottish mathematician and philosopher who lived from 1739 to 1805. He was a professor at the University of Edinburgh and is best known for his work in the fields of natural philosophy and mechanics.
Another prominent figure was George Robison (1737-1801), a Scottish physicist and philosopher who was a pioneer in the field of optics. He served as a professor of natural philosophy at the University of Glasgow and was a member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
In the literary realm, Frederick Robison (1861-1937) was a Scottish author and journalist who wrote several books, including "Twixt Ben Nevis and Glencoe" and "The Life of a Scottish Probationer."
The American politician James Robison (1835-1924) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana, serving from 1891 to 1895.
More recently, Dr. James Robison (born 1943) is an American author, evangelist, and founder of the Christian relief organization Life Outreach International.
While the Robison surname has evolved over time and spread across various countries, its roots can be traced back to the medieval Scottish Highlands, where it was deeply connected to the history and culture of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Robison
Among Census respondents with the surname Robison, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Robison 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 Robison surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.3% · 21,638
- Black or African American5.3% · 1,344
- Two or more races4.2% · 1,066
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 913
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 269
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 141
Timeline
Historical Census data for Robison
Robison 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
#1,392
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,450
+1,665 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 8.63
Rank movement Down 25 places
2020
#1,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,371
-79 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 8.49
Rank movement Up 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,367 | 23,785 | 8.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,392 | 25,450 | 8.63 | +1,665 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 25 places |
| 2020 | #1,365 | 25,371 | 8.49 | -79 bearers (-0.3%) | Up 27 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 Robison 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 | #1,392 | #1,365 | 1.9% |
| Count | 25,450 | 25,371 | -0.3% |
| Per 100K | 8.63 | 8.49 | -1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Robison bearers went from 25,450 to 25,371 (-0.3% change). The surname moved up 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,392 to #1,365.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Robison
FAQ
Robison surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Robison?
Name Census estimates that about 29,094 living Americans carry the surname Robison. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,781 residents.
How common is Robison?
Robison ranks #1,365 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 25,371 people with the surname Robison. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (29,094), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Robison.
Has Robison become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Robison went from 25,450 recorded bearers to 25,371. That is a decrease of 79 (-0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,392 to #1,365.
What does the Census say about the background of Robison?
Among Census respondents with the surname Robison, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Robison in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (21,638 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Robison appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.3%), Black (5.3%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Robison (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 Robison mean?
Son of Robin, a diminutive of Robert, meaning "bright fame." 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 Robison (8.49 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 people share the surname Robison?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.