ROBARTS
Robarts is a surname of English origin that is derived from the personal name Robert , which itself originates from the Old Germanic name Hrodebert . The elements of this name— hrod meaning “renown” and berht meaning “bright” or “famous”—combine to give a literal meaning of “bright fame” or “renowned in battle.”
After the Norman Conquest of 1066, the name Robert became widespread throughout England, appearing in the Domesday Book of 1086 under the forms Rodbert , Rotbert , and Robert . Its popularity led to the adoption of Robert as a surname in the latter half of the thirteenth century, with the earliest recorded instance being William Robert in the Fine Court Rolls of Essex (1292). The patronymic form, Robarts, first appears in the early fourteenth century; the terminal s denotes “son of,” a common suffix in English surnames.
Contemporary variations of the surname include Rober(t)s, Robarts, Roberds, and Rober(t)son. Historical records from London illustrate the use of the name: the marriage of Alejandro Robarts and Margrett Cullwicke on 7 January 1605 at St. John’s, Hackney, and the christening of Charles Robarts, son of Richard and Esther Robarts, on 1 August 1696 at St. Bartholomew the Great.
The earliest documented spelling of the family name is that of Richard Roberdes, recorded in 1327 in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire during the reign of King Edward I. This evidence confirms that the name had entered the written record by the early fourteenth century.
In modern times, the surname Robarts is predominantly found in the United Kingdom and North America. Within the United Kingdom it remains an English surname with root in the Anglo‑Saxon language. In North America, it is comparatively rare but is concentrated in the United States and Canada, particularly in the New England states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, as well as in the Midwest and northwestern states such as Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and California.
Some sources propose that the surname may have once denoted a person who worked as a ferryman or on a ferry boat, which could explain clustering along the coasts of northern England and Wales. However, this occupational origin is not universally accepted and should be regarded as a possible, rather than certain, explanation.
Variant spellings that appear in historical documents and modern records include Roberts, Robert, Robart, Robers, Robbers, Robards, Roberson, Roberds, Robersons, Robington, and Robinsons. The range of alternative forms reflects the long-standing and geographically dispersed history of the name.
Typical given names associated with the Robarts surname
Male
- Alexander
- Andrew
- Anthony
- Charles
- David
- John
- Julian
- Malcolm
- Michael
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
- Steve
- Toni
Female
- Ann
- Daisy
- Holly
- Katherine
- Laura
- Rachel
- Sally
- Susan
- Suzanne
- Valerie
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Robarts in...
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There are approximately 203 people named Robarts in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around three in a million people in Britain are named Robarts.
