Contents [hide]

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

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Robins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Scotland

The chronicles of the Robins family show that the name was first used in the Scottish/English Borderlands by the Strathclyde-Britons. It was a name for a person who lived in Peeblesshire. The Robins surname was also a patronymic name created from the personal name Robin, a pet form of Robert. 1

"That Robin was early considered a diminutive of Robert is shown by an entry in 1483 where the same individual is referred to as Robyne of Hall and Robert of Hall." 2

Early Origins of the Robins family

The surname Robins was first found in Peeblesshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd nam Pùballan), former county in South-central Scotland, in the present day Scottish Borders Council Area, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Scotland to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Robins family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Robins research. Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Robins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Robins Spelling Variations

The origin of rules governing the spelling of names and even words is a very recent innovation. Before that, words and names were spelled according to sound, and, therefore, often appeared under several different spelling variations in a single document. Robins has been spelled Robbins, Robbyns, Robens, Robins, Robin and others.

Early Notables of the Robins family

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

Robins World Ranking

In the United States, the name Robins is the 2,674^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 3 However, in Australia, the name Robins is ranked the 865^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,582 people with that name. 4 And in the United Kingdom, the name Robins is the 971^st popular surname with an estimated 7,170 people with that name. 5

Robins migration to the United States +

The persecution faced in their homeland left many Scots with little to do but sail for the colonies of North America. There they found land, freedom, opportunity, and nations in the making. They fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence, or traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In both cases, they made enormous contributions to the formation of those great nations. Among them:

Robins Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Sampson Robins, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 6
Mr. Thomas Robins, aged 17, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Speedwell" 7
Mr. Edward Robins, aged 33, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Thomas" 7
Lawrence Robins, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 6
Grace Robins, who landed in Virginia in 1638 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Robins Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Robins, who landed in Virginia in 1706 6
James Robins, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1764 6

Robins Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Nathaniel Robins, aged 60, who landed in New York in 1812 6
Bridget Robins, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 6
Miss Louisa Robins, (b. 1836), aged 13, Cornish settler departing from Penzance aboard the ship "Cornwall" arriving in the United states on 23rd August 1849 8
Cornielus Henry Robins, who landed in Arkansas in 1880 6
Edward A Robins, who arrived in Arkansas in 1880 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Robins Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mrs. Eliza Jane Robins, (b. 1867), aged 38, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "St Louis" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Morristown, New Jersey, USA 9
Mr. John Charles Robins, (b. 1880), aged 25, Cornish miner, from Par, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 4th June 1905 en route to Houghton, Michigan, USA 9
Mr. Richard Thomas Robins, (b. 1889), aged 16, Cornish coachman travelling aboard the ship "St Louis" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Morristown, New Jersey, USA 9
Mr. William Robins, (b. 1876), aged 29, Cornish miner, from Truro, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Philadelphia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Butte, Montana, USA 9

Robins migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Robins Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Charles Robins, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752
Mr. Robert Robins U.E. who settled in Belle Vue, Beaver Harbour, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1783 10
Mr. Richard Robins U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 10
Ensign. John Robins U.E. (b. 1756) born in New Jersey, USA from Monmouth County, New Jersey, USA who settled in Bedeque, Island of Saint John (Prince Edward Island) c. 1784 he served in the New Jersey Volunteers 1st Battalion and King's Rangers 1st Battalion, married to Mary Hooper having 6 children, he died in 1797 10
Mr. Richard Robins U.E. (b. 1724) from Monmouth County, New Jersey, USA who settled in Bedeque, Island of Saint John (Prince Edward Island) c. 1784 father of John Robins, he had 2 other children, he died in 1785 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Robins Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Robins, who arrived in Canada in 1834

Robins migration to Australia +

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

Robins Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Michael Robins who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dick" on 2nd October 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
William Robins, a plasterer, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
Mr. John Robins who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 24th March 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Mr. William Robins, Cornish convict who was convicted in Cornwall, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Burrell" on 22nd July 1830, arriving in New South Wales 13
Mr. William Robins (b. 1808), aged 22, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 20th April 1830, sentenced for 14 years for stealing clothing from his employer, Elizabeth Goodman, transported aboard the ship "Burrell" on 22nd July 1830 to New South Wales, Australia 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Robins 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:

Robins Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Robins, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Edwin Fox" in 1875
Benjamin Robins, aged 17, a clerk, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875
Charles W. Robins, aged 15, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Robins (post 1700) +

Mckeel Robins (b. 1988), American actress and Certified Sommelier, known for Medium (2005), All Things Fall Apart (2011) and Body of Proof (2011)
Major-General Thomas Matthews Robins (1881-1965), American Deputy Chief of Engineers (1943-1945) 15
Charles Armington Robins (1884-1970), American physician and politician, the 22nd Governor of Idaho (1947-1951)
Oliver Robins (b. 1971), American writer, director and former child actor, best known for his role as Robbie Freeling in the 1982 movie Poltergeist
Thomas Ellis Robins KBE, DSO (1884-1962), 1st Baron Robins, American-born British businessman and public servant
Augustine Warner Robins (1882-1940), American brigadier general, namesake to the Air force base and city of Warner Robins in Georgia
Frank E. Robins Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arkansas, 1956 16
Ezekiel Robins, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County, 1797-99, 1800-03 16
Claude R. Robins, American politician, Mayor of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1953-55 16
Charles Armington Robins (1884-1970), American Republican politician, Member of Idaho State Senate, 1938-44; Governor of Idaho, 1947-51; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Idaho, 1948 16
... (Another 28 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Robins family +

HMS Dorsetshire

Walter John Robins (d. 1945), British Stoker 1st Class aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 17

HMS Hood

Mr. R Anthony C R Robins (b. 1917), English Sub-Lieutenant serving for the Royal Navy Reserve from Sussex, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 18
Mr. Charles V Robins (b. 1919), English Yeoman of Signals serving for the Royal Navy from Battle, Sussex, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 18

HMS Repulse

Mr. Peter E Robins, British Leading Seaman Able Bodied, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 19

RMS Lusitania

Mr. T. "Edward Kyle" Robins, English Able-Bodied Seaman, from Liverpool, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 20

RMS Titanic

Mr. Alexander A. Robins (d. 1912), aged 50, English Third Class passenger from St Austell, Cornwall who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking and was recovered by CS Mackay-Bennett 21
Mrs. Grace Charity Robins (d. 1912), (née Laury), aged 47, English Third Class passenger from St Austell, Cornwall who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking and was recovered by CS Mackay-Bennett 21

The Robins Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Vivit post funera virtus
Motto Translation: Virtue lives after death

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
"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
"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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
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
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Dick
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2014, March 26) Thomas Robins. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Robins/Thomas_Matthews/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
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 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/
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html