Show ContentsRobin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Robin 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 Robin family

The surname Robin was first found in Brittany.

Early History of the Robin family

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

Robin Spelling Variations

Changes of spelling have occurred in most surnames. The earliest explanation is that during the early development of the French language, names were not yet fixed in spelling. Usually a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. This depended on accent, and local accents frequently changed the spelling of a name. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there are some spelling variations of the name Robin, including Robin, Robbin, Robine, Robbine, Robbyn, Robins and many more.

Early Notables of the Robin family

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

Robin Ranking

In the United States, the name Robin is the 6,582nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [1] However, in France, the name Robin is ranked the 50th most popular surname with an estimated 41,002 people with that name. [2]


United States Robin migration to the United States +

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 the treaty of Utrecht, the Acadians were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. In 1793, the remaining French in these provinces came under British rule. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Robin were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Robin were

Robin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Martin Robin, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 [3]
  • Nicholas Robin, who landed in Louisiana in 1719 [3]
  • Charles Robin, aged 24, who landed in Louisiana in 1719 [3]
  • Jean Robin, aged 17, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 [3]
Robin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Robin, who arrived in New York, NY in 1815 [3]
  • Guillaume Robin from Brittany settled in Cape St. George
  • Joaquin Robin, aged 47, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1851 [3]
  • Sam Robin, who landed in Mississippi in 1895 [3]

Canada Robin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Robin Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Mr. Pierre Robin, (b. 1607), aged 35, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 7th April 1642 [4]
  • Etienne Robin, aged 20, who arrived in Montreal in 1653
  • Jean Robin, son of Jean and Perette, who married Jeanne Charreton, daughter of Claude and Madeleine, in Quebec on 10th October 1667 [5]
  • Francois Robin, who landed in Canada in 1688
  • Francois Robin, who arrived in Quebec in 1694 from Brittany
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Robin Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Jacques Robin, son of Louis and Marie, who married Marie-Françoise Beauchamp, daughter of Jean and Jeanne, in Lachenaie, Quebec on 20th April 1729 [5]
  • Étienne Robin, son of Jean and Marie-Claude, who married Marie Charles, daughter of Clément and Marie, in Terrebonne, Quebec on 3rd November 1734 [5]
  • Louis Robin, who arrived in Quebec in 1735 from Maine
  • Jean Robin, who arrived in Quebec from Berry in 1738
  • Jean Robin, son of Étienne and Marie, who married Marie-Françoise Brouillet, daughter of Jean and Françoise, in Montreal, Quebec on 9th June 1738 [5]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Robin migration to Australia +

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

Robin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Elisha Robin, aged 27, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Prince Regent" in 1849 [6]
  • Amelia Robin, aged 18, a dressmaker, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Navarino" [7]
  • Jane Robin, aged 18, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "William Prowse" [8]

New Zealand Robin 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:

Robin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Robert Robin, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 30th July 1861 [9]
  • Frederick Robin, aged 24, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875
  • Mary A. Robin, aged 21, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Robin (post 1700) +

  • Leo Robin (1900-1984), American composer, lyricist and songwriter
  • Adolph Robin, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1936 [10]
  • Michel Robin (1930-2020), French film, stage, and television actor
  • Daniel Robin (1943-2018), French gold and two-time silver medalist wrestler, active in the 1960s
  • Antoine Joseph Robin, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 [11]
  • Mado Robin (1918-1960), French coloratura singer
  • Régine Robin (1939-2021), born Rivka Ajzersztejn, a Canadian historian, novelist, translator and professor of sociology
  • Byrna Robin Barclay SOM (1940-2023), née Burton, a Canadian writer and editor from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, President of the Saskatchewan Writers Guild
  • Alastair Robin McGlashan (d. 2012), British Anglican priest, a Jungian analyst, Tamil scholar
  • Michael Robin Jackson MBE (1934-2022), British-born, American talk radio host and occasional actor, best known for his radio show which covered arts, politics, and human interest subjects, particularly in the Los Angeles and greater Southern California area, inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2003


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. 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)
  4. Debien, Gabriel. Liste Des Engagés Pour Le Canada Au XVIIe Siècle. Vol. 6, Laval University, 1952. (Retreived 24th May 2018). Retrieved from https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/130-liste-des-contrats-dengagement-pour-la-nouvelle-france-releves-a-la-rochelle-entre-1634-et-1679/
  5. Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
  6. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) "PRINCE REGENT" 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849PrinceRegent.htm
  7. South Australian Register Monday 14th August 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Navarino 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/navarino1854.shtml
  8. South Australian Register Monday 21st August 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) William Prowse 1856. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/williamprowse1854.shtml
  9. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  10. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  11. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, August 27) Antoine Robin. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html


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