Robbie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

In the Scottish/English Borderlands, the Strathclyde Britons were the first to use the name Robbie. 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 Robbie family

The surname Robbie 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 Robbie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Robbie 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 Robbie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Robbie Spelling Variations

In Medieval times, spelling and translation were not nearly so highly developed as today. They were generally carried out according to the sound and intuition of the bearer. For that reason spelling variations are extremely common among early Scottish names. Robbie has been spelled Robb, Robbie, Roby, Robe, MacRobbie, MacRobb and others.

Early Notables of the Robbie 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 Robbie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Robbie family to Ireland

Some of the Robbie 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.

Robbie migration to Australia +

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

Robbie Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Alexander Robbie who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5

Robbie 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:

Robbie Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James B. Robbie, aged 23, a farm labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Assaye" in 1874 6
Mr. Henry James Robbie, British settler travelling from London, UK with 1 child aboard the ship "Assaye" arriving in Auckland, North Island, New Zealand on 26th December 1874 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Robbie (post 1700) +

Joseph "Joe" Robbie (1916-1990), American lawyer and entrepreneur, Miami Dolphins Principal Owner (1966-1990), he built the US 115 million Joe Robbie Stadium (1987-1996) with private funds in 1987
Seymour Robbie (1919-2004), American television director of the shows The 64,000 Question, Wonder Woman, F Troop, Murder, She Wrote (1984), Remington Steele (1982) and many more
Joseph Robbie, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Minnesota, 1956, 1960, 1964 (alternate) 7
Joseph Robbie Jr., American Democratic Party politician, South Dakota Democratic State Chair, 1949; Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 13th District, 1949-50; Candidate for Governor of South Dakota, 1950 7
Joe Robbie, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Florida, 1972 7
Christopher Robbie (b. 1938), British actor, television announcer, theatre director and playwright
Roderick "Rod" George Robbie OC (1928-2012), English-born, Canadian architect, best known for his design of the Canadian Pavilion at Expo 67 and Toronto's Rogers Centre
Margot Elise Robbie (b. 1990), Australian two-time Logie Award nominated actress, best known for her role as Donna Freedman on the soap opera Neighbours
John Cameron Robbie (b. 1955), retired Irish international rugby union player, radio presenter
Boone Robbie Jenner (b. 1993), Canadian professional NHL ice hockey player and captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets

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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html