Show ContentsRobins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Robins Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Robins

What does the name Robins mean?

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

Robins migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the Second Fleet and Third Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Second Fleet
  • Mr. Thomas Robins, British settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1790, sentenced to 7 years for stealing sheets, transported aboard the ship "Third Fleet" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 6
  • Mr. William Robins, (Robbins), (d. 1791), British settler convicted in Wiltshire, England in 1790, sentenced to 7 years for stealing fabric, transported aboard the ship "Britannia" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 7
Third Fleet
  • Mr. John Robins, (b. 1760), aged 27, English settler convicted in Exeter, Devon on 18th July 1785, sentenced for 7 years for theft, transported aboard the ship "Charlotte" leaving on 13th May 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 22nd January 1788 7
Following the Second and Third Fleets, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia 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 7
  • 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 8
  • 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 9
  • 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 10
  • ... (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
  • Miss Emma Robins, aged 16, British servant from Gloucester who travelled from London to New Plymouth, New Zealand aboard the ship "Huunui" arriving in December 1877

Robins migration to Canada +

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 11
  • 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 11
  • 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 11
  • Mr. Richard Robins U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 11
  • ... (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 the United States +



Robins Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Sampson Robins, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 12
  • Mr. Thomas Robins, aged 17, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Speedwell" 13
  • Mr. Edward Robins, aged 33, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Thomas" 13
  • Lawrence Robins, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 12
  • Grace Robins, who landed in Virginia in 1638 12
  • ... (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 12
  • James Robins, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1764 12
Robins Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Nathaniel Robins, aged 60, who landed in New York in 1812 12
  • Bridget Robins, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 12
  • Mr. James Robins, aged 37, British farmer who arrived in New Orleans aboard the ship "Echo" on 16th April 1841
  • 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 14
  • Cornielus Henry Robins, who landed in Arkansas in 1880 12
  • ... (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 15
  • 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 15
  • 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 15
  • 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 15

Contemporary Notables of the name Robins (post 1700) +

  • Major-General Thomas Matthews Robins (1881-1965), American Deputy Chief of Engineers (1943-1945), responsible for the construction of the Bonneville Dam 16
  • Mckeel Robins (b. 1988), American actress and Certified Sommelier, known for Medium (2005), All Things Fall Apart (2011) and Body of Proof (2011)
  • Bryce B. Robins (b. 1980), New Zealand-born Japanese rugby union play
  • Robert Walter Vivian Robins (1906-1968), English cricketer and footballer
  • Mark Gordon Robins (b. 1969), English football manager currently at Rotherham United
  • Ms. Claire Elizabeth Robins O.B.E., British Headteacher for Scholars’ Education Trust and Member of the North West London South Central Headteacher’s Board, appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to Education 17
  • Sanderson Robins (1801-1862), English divine and writer on education, the second son of Matthew Robins of St. Mary's, Newington, Surrey
  • George Henry Robins (1778-1847), English auctioneer born in London, son of Henry Robins, an auctioneer in the Great Piazza, Covent Garden
  • Benjamin Robins (1707-1751), English scientist, Newtonian mathematician, and military engineer, only son of John Robins (1666–1758), a Quaker
  • ... (Another 28 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
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 18
  • 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 19
  • 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 20
  • Mr. Peter E Robins, British Leading Seaman Able Bodied, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 20
  • Mr. T. "Edward Kyle" Robins, English Able-Bodied Seaman, from Liverpool, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 21
  • ... (Another 2 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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
  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. 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)
  3. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  4. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Dick
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
  10. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
  11. 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
  12. 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)
  13. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  14. 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
  15. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
  16. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2014, March 26) Thomas Robins. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Robins/Thomas_Matthews/USA.html
  17. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
  18. Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
  19. 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
  20. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  21. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/

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