ROBISON
Robison is a surname of both German and Scottish provenance. It is a patronymic name signifying son of Robert, derived from the personal name Robert which itself traces back to the Old High German Hrodebert. The Germanic elements of this name are hrod, meaning fame, and beraht, meaning bright or famous, thus rendering the full meaning of the original name as bright fame.
The surname first appears in the Poll Tax rolls of the county of Yorkshire in 1379, where a Richard Robson and a Thomas Robyson are recorded. Subsequent medieval entries place the name in the Isle of Barbados with a John Robson appointed clerk of the market in 1679, and in the early nineteenth century a water-colour painter named George Robson exhibited at the Royal Academy.
During the sixteenth century, Black’s Surnames of Scotland recognises the Robison family as one of the four prominent English clans of North Tyneside in Northumberland. Their ancestors have been described as “good honest men and true, saving a little shifting for their living” in an early register known as the Dialogue. The family’s name is ultimately a shortened derivative of the pre-7th-century Anglo-Saxon personal name Hrodbert, the modern Germanic form of Robert.
Variations of the surname include Robson, Robeson and Robison; these spellings have appeared in legal and civil documents throughout British history. The name is frequently encountered in the records of the British Isles, particularly in Scotland and northern England, where Gaelic and Scots languages have historically been spoken.
In more recent centuries, bearers of the surname and its variants have made notable contributions to British culture and sport. Theatre has benefited from the artistic legacies of Paul Robeson and Dame Flora Robson, while football has remembered figures such as the former England manager Bobby Robson.
Typical given names associated with the Robison surname
Male
- Anthony
- David
- James
- John
- Marcus
- Mark
- Paul
- Robert
- Ross
- Stuart
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Amanda
- Anna
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Janet
- Jean
- Karen
- Laura
- Lorna
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Susan
- Vera
Similar and related surnames
- Dobbie
- Dobbin
- Dobbins
- Dorry
- Hobbins
- Robert
- Robbie
- Robeson
- Robson
- Roby
- Robertson
- Robenson
- Robbinson
- Roberson
- Robbison
- Robason
- Orbison
- Robesson
- Robibson
- Robieson
- Robinison
- Robinson
- Robisnon
- Robisson
- Robsen
- Robsinson
- Robsons
- Robetson
- Robinason
- Robinbson
- Robingson
- Robinsen
- Robinsonn
- Robinsons
- Robinsson
- Robisnson
- Robonson
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Robison in...
Braille
⠗⠕⠃⠊⠎⠕⠝
Morse
.-.----........----.
Semaphore
There are approximately 755 people named Robison in the UK. That makes it roughly the 9,168th most common surname in Britain. Around 12 in a million people in Britain are named Robison.
Surname type: From given name or forename
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Robison
- Shona Robison - Scottish politician
- John Robison - Scottish physicist and mathematician (1739 to 1805)
- Garry Robison - Royal Marines general
- Aaron Robison - Ballet dancer
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.