Contents [hide]

Robb History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Robb History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The Strathclyde clans of the Scottish/English Borderlands were the first people to use the name Robb. It is derived from the personal name Robert, which is composed of the elements hrod, meaning famous, and berht, meaning bright. 1 2

Early Origins of the Robb family

The surname Robb was first found in Stirlingshire, but we must look to Aberdeen to find one of the more interesting entries, that of Beatriux and Issobell Robie (Robye) who were listed as witches in 1597 which was not that unusual of the religious conflicts of that time. 3

Jok Robb was a voter in Monkland in 1519 and Nicholas Rob was a witness in Dumfriesshire in 1542. John Rob was a witness in Glasgow in 1551 and 1554. 3

While the name is traditionally Scottish, to the south in England early records were also found. Richard Robbe, Robe was found in the Pipe Rolls for Sussex in 1177-1178 and Richard Robbe was found in Somerset in 1212. Later, Simon Robes was listed in 1319 and Adam Robbes was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1327. 4

Early History of the Robb family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Robb research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1542, 1551, 1554, 1646, 1688, 1709, 1713, 1740, 1753 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Robb History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Robb Spelling Variations

Spelling and translation were hardly exact sciences in Medieval Scotland. Sound, rather than any set of rules, was the basis for spellings, so one name was often spelled different ways even within a single document. Spelling variations are thus an extremely common occurrence in Medieval Scottish names. Robb has been spelled Robb, Robbie, Roby, Robe, MacRobbie, MacRobb and others.

Early Notables of the Robb family

Notable amongst the family at this time was James Robe (1688-1753), Scottish Presbyterian divine, son of Michael Robe, minister of Cumbernauld. He studied at Glasgow University, and was licensed by the presbytery of Linlithgow in 1709. In 1713...
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Robb Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Robb World Ranking

In the United States, the name Robb is the 2,652^nd most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 5 However, in Australia, the name Robb is ranked the 968^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,102 people with that name. 6 And in New Zealand, the name Robb is the 459^th popular surname with an estimated 1,505 people with that name. 7 The United Kingdom ranks Robb as 897^th with 7,634 people. 8

Migration of the Robb family to Ireland

Some of the Robb family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Robb migration to the United States +

Such hard times forced many to leave their homeland in search of opportunity across the Atlantic. Many of these families settled along the east coast of North America in communities that would become the backbones of the young nations of the United States and Canada. The ancestors of many of these families have rediscovered their roots in the 20th century through the establishment of Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. Among them:

Robb Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Robb, who settled in Virginia in 1635
Thomas Robb, who landed in Virginia in 1655 9

Robb Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Robb, who arrived in South Carolina in 1716
Michael Robb, aged 16, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 9
Hugh Robb, aged 39, who landed in New York, NY in 1774 9
Peter Robb, who landed in New York in 1795 9

Robb Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alexander Robb, who arrived in New York State in 1804
Alexander Robb, aged 53, who landed in New York in 1812 9
Joseph Robb, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1812 9
Charles Robb, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1816 9
James Robb, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1828 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Robb migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Robb Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. John Robb U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 10

Robb Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Miss. Eliza Robb, aged 12 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Rose" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle on 15th June 1847 11
Mr. Alexander Robb, aged 7 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Tamarac" departing 26th May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 11th July 1847 but he died on board 12
Miss. Catherine Robb, aged 3 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Lady Flora Hastings" departing 11th May 1847 from Cork, Ireland; the ship arrived on 26th June 1847 but she died on board 12
Miss. Eliza Robb, aged 12 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Rose" departing 19th April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 1st July 1847 but she died on board 12
Miss. Eliza Robb, aged 9 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Tamarac" departing 26th May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 11th July 1847 but she died on board 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Robb migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Robb Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

James Robb, Scottish convict from Edinburgh, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on July 29th, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 14
John Robb, aged 20, a carpenter, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Bucephalus"

Robb migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Robb Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Andrew Robb, aged 26, a blacksmith, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "New Zealand" in 1842
Helen Robb, aged 24, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "New Zealand" in 1842
Alexander Robb, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Avalanche" in 1858
Miss Jessie Robb, (b. 1841), aged 21, Scottish dairymaid, from Forfarshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Queen of Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 20th October 1862 15
Mr. Robert Robb, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 18th November 1863 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Robb migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 16

Robb Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Ellinn Robb, aged 27, who arrived in Barbados in 1635 9
Miss Elizabeth Fillia Robb, (b. 1628), aged 7, British settler travelling from Gravesend, England aboard the ship "Falcon" arriving in Barbados in 1636 17
Miss Ellinn Robb, (b. 1608), aged 27, British settler travelling from Gravesend, England aboard the ship "Falcon" arriving in Barbados in 1636 17

Contemporary Notables of the name Robb (post 1700) +

Inez Early Robb (1900-1979), née Callaway, an American journalist and war correspondent, one of the highest paid female reporters by 1938, writing a syndicated column that was carried by 140 newspapers
John Donald Robb (1892-1989), American composer, Hispanic folk-song collector and preservationist
James H. Robb (1918-1993), American professor of philosophy at Marquette University
James Hampden Robb (1846-1911), American politician, New York State Assembly in 1882 and New York State Senator (1884-1885)
Isabel Adams Hampton Robb (1860-1910), American nurse theorist, author, nursing school administrator
Ed Robb (1942-2011), American academic and politician, Member of the Missouri House of Representatives in 2004
Douglas Robb, American major general in the United States Air Force
Candace Robb (b. 1950), American historical novelist, with works set in medieval England
Bruce Robb (b. 1954), American musician, record producer, engineer, and music supervisor, founding member of “The Robbs”
AnnaSophia Robb (b. 1993), American actress, best known for her starring roles in Because of Winn-Dixie and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
... (Another 48 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Robb family +

Air New Zealand Flight 901

Lady Helen Robb (1906-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Remuera, North Island, New Zealand, wife of Sir George Douglas Robb, aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; she died in the crash 18

HMS Hood

Mr. James G Robb (b. 1919), English Able Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Brighton, Sussex, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 19

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Robb, British Cook, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 20

HMS Repulse

Mr. William Henry Robb, British Stoker 1st Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 21

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Joseph Robb, (Huston), English Able-Bodied Seaman from Bootle, Lancashire, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking and was recovered 22

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 53)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 93)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 94)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 151 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1823
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 28th September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/