Show ContentsRobben History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Robben has a rich and ancient history that is specifically connected to the northwestern region of Brittany. It is a French name that was originally derived from the Germanic name Robert, which is composed of the elements hrod, meaning famous, and berht, meaning bright.

Early Origins of the Robben family

The surname Robben was first found in Brittany.

Early History of the Robben family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Robben research. Another 49 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1789 is included under the topic Early Robben History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Robben Spelling Variations

History has changed the spelling of most surnames. During the early development of the French language in the Middle Ages, a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there spelling variations of the name Robben, some of which include Robin, Robbin, Robine, Robbine, Robbyn, Robins and many more.

Early Notables of the Robben family

More information is included under the topic Early Robben Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Robben Ranking

In Netherlands, the name Robben is the 953rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,164 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Robben family

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec, in 1663 there were only 500, 2,000 migrants arrived during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. Youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted migrants, both noble and commoner from France. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. Migration from France to New France or Quebec as it was now more popularly called, continued from France until it fell in 1759. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many distinguished contributions have been made by members of this family name Robben. It has been prominent in the arts, religion, politics and culture in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Robben were Pierre Robin who arrived in Quebec from Aunis on the west coast of France near Bordeaux in 1744; Jean Robin arrived in Quebec from Berry in 1738; Francois Robin arrived in Quebec in 1694 from Brittany.



  1. "Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames


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