Robb is a

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

of Scottish origin, formed from a diminution (reduction) of the name

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

. Robert was a popular name, especially after its use by three Scots Kings in the fourteenth century. Rob is first recorded as a surname in the mid-15th century, with a handful of individuals recorded in the decades either side of 1500. As the 16th century progressed there were early groupings in

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland. Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotlan ...

and later in

Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...

Stirlingshire Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling, gd, Siorrachd Sruighlea) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration countyRegisters of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. of Scotland. Its county town is Stirli ...

. It is likely that the name originated with the offspring of a Robert or Rob, when surnames began to flourish, but unlike some surnames there is no one source for the name. The surname was originally spelled Rob, sometimes Robe, but by 1800 the vast majority of families had added an extra 'b', an exception being a wealthy farming family of Perthshire origin that settled in

Thirsk Thirsk is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England known for its racecourse; quirky yarnbomber displays, and depiction as local author James Herriot's fictional Darrowby. History Archeological fin ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

. Although the surname originates in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

branches of the family settled in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

during the sixteenth century

Plantations A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

, with the earliest record of the name appearing in the 1630s. The Robb of Timpany family originated with one James Robb who in the late seventeenth century was said to have been a chief mason of the King's Works in Ireland and an assistant of

Inigo Jones Inigo Jones (; 15 July 1573 – 21 June 1652) was the first significant architect in England and Wales in the early modern period, and the first to employ Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmetry in his buildings. As the most notable archit ...

. A descendant Captain James Robb built Timpany House in 1780. Another armorial Robb family used the surname Robe, descending from Reverend James Robe of Kilsyth (1688–1753), son of Reverend Michael Rob of Cumbernauld (1645–1721), although their coat of arms recorded with the Lord Lyon descends from the Hamilton family through marriage. The Robb crest shows a bare arm holding a chapeau surrounded with a laurel wreath. It appears that many Robbs emigrated to the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...

from Ireland, rather than Scotland. The surname sometimes became Raab, presumably through the pronunciation, although many Robbs in the New World are originally Raubs of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

origin. Amongst many Scottish settlers, there were three Jacobite soldiers (from Angus and Midlothian) transported to America following the

Jacobite rising of 1715 The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( gd, Bliadhna Sheumais ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts The House of Stuart, ori ...

, and the first Free Kirk Minister to settle in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

was the Rev. Ralph Robb (1800–1850) a native of Logie parish near Stirling. The name is often recorded as a

sept A sept is a division of a family, especially of a Scottish or Irish family. The term is used in both Scotland and Ireland, where it may be translated as ''sliocht'', meaning "progeny" or "seed", which may indicate the descendants of a person ( ...

of the Clan MacFarlane who were based historically on the eastern side of Loch Lomond, but this only stems from an early inclusion of the surname MacRobb, (which is a Highland surname), as a MacFarlane sept. It is unlikely there was ever a link between the, largely, lowland surname and the highland clan. It is the 192nd (equal) most popular surname in Scotland, judging by births, marriages and deaths in 2018.National Records of Scotland website

People with the surname Robb

Alfred Robb Alfred Arthur Robb FRS (18 January 1873 in Belfast – 14 December 1936 in Castlereagh) was a Northern Irish physicist. Biography Robb studied at Queen's College, Belfast (BA 1894) and at St John's College, Cambridge (Tripos 1897, MA 1901) ...

(1873–1935), English physicist *

Andrew Robb Andrew John Robb (born 20 August 1951) is a former Australian politician. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 2004 to 2016, representing the Liberal Party. He served as Minister for Trade and Investment (2013–2016) in the ...

(born 1951), Australian politician *

AnnaSophia Robb AnnaSophia Robb (born December 8, 1993) is an American actress, model, and singer. She began as a child actress on television, making her leading debut as the titular role in '' Samantha: An American Girl Holiday'' (2004). She made her feature ...

(born 1993), American actress, model, and singer *

Bruce Robb Bruce Robb is an American musician, record producer, engineer, and music supervisor. He is most recognized for his time as a member of " The Robbs" during the 1960s, then as a founder of Cherokee Studios in the 1970s; followed by decades of pro ...

(born 1954), American record producer *

Candace Robb Candace Robb (born 1950) is an American historical novelist, whose works are set in medieval England. She has also written under the pen name Emma Campion. Biography Candace Robb was born in North Carolina, grew up in Ohio, and now lives in Se ...

(born 1959), American author *

Carole Robb Carole Robb (1943) is a British artist and member of the National Academy of Design, New York. She lives between New York City, Rome, Venice, and London. Early life and education Robb was born in Port Glasgow, Scotland in 1943 and studied paint ...

(born 1943), Scottish painter *

Chuck Robb Charles Spittal Robb (born June 26, 1939) is an American politician from Virginia and former officer in the United States Marine Corps. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the List of governors of Vir ...

(born 1939), American politician *

Curtis Robb Curtis Robb (born 7 June 1972) is a former British middle distance runner, who competed at two consecutive Summer Olympics for Great Britain, in 1992 and 1996. Running career Robb first began running with Liverpool Harriers & AC, a racing team ...

(born 1972), British middle distance athlete *

David Robb David Robb (born 23 August 1947) is a Scottish actor. Early life Born in London, the son of David Robb and Elsie Tilley, Robb grew up in Edinburgh and was educated there at the Royal High School, Edinburgh, Royal High School, where he played ...

(born 1947), British actor *

Douglas Robb (schoolmaster) Douglas Robert Kenneth Robb (born 3 September 1970) is an English schoolmaster who is currently headmaster of Gresham's School. Before that, he was a housemaster at Oundle School and then head of Oswestry School. Early life Born in the Wirral in 1 ...

(born 1970), British rugby player and headmaster *

Ed Robb Ed Robb (July 1, 1942 – September 24, 2011) was a member of the faculty at the University of Missouri, the president of a consulting firm, and a Republican member of the Missouri House of Representatives. He resided in Columbia, Missouri, wit ...

(born 1942), American politician *

George Douglas Robb Sir George Douglas Robb (1899–1974) was a New Zealand surgeon, medical reformer, writer, and university chancellor. Career He was born at Auckland on 29 April 1899 and educated at the Auckland Grammar School and at the University of Otago ( ...

(1899–1974), New Zealand surgeon *

George Robb George Robb (1 June 1926 – 25 December 2011) was a footballer who played outside left for Tottenham Hotspur and England. Robb represented Great Britain at the 1952 Olympic Games. He also had a career as a schoolteacher. He died on Christmas D ...

(1926-2011) English football player *

Graham Robb Graham Macdonald Robb FRSL (born 2 June 1958, Manchester) is a British author and critic specialising in French literature. Biography Born at Manchester, Robb attended the Royal Grammar School, Worcester, before going up to Exeter College, ...

(born 1958), British author * Ian Robb, English folk singer *

Isabel Hampton Robb Isabel Adams Hampton Robb (1859–1910) was an American nurse theorist, author, nursing school administrator and early leader. Hampton was the first Superintendent of Nurses at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, wrote several influential textbook ...

(1860–1910), American nursing theorist * J. Hampden Robb (1846–1911), New York politician * James Robb (disambiguation), several people * John Robb (disambiguation), several people *

Lynda Bird Johnson Robb Lynda Bird Johnson Robb (born March 19, 1944) is the elder daughter of the 36th U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson. She served as chairwoman of the Board of Reading is Fundamental, the nation's largest childr ...

(born 1944), elder daughter of American president Lyndon Baines Johnson *

Mary Lee Robb Mary Lee Robb Cline (February 15, 1926, – August 28, 2006) was a radio actress during the 1940s and 1950s. Her name is sometimes seen as Marylee Robb. Early life Robb was born in Streator, Illinois, and lived much of her early life in Chica ...

(1926-2006), American actress * Mervyn Robb (born 1981) *

Muriel Robb Muriel Evelyn Robb (13 May 1878 – 12 February 1907) was an English female tennis player. She is best remembered for her ladies' singles title at the 1902 Wimbledon Championships. She also won the Irish and Scottish singles titles in 1901 and ...

(1878–1907), British tennis player * Natalie J. Robb (born 1974), Scottish actress *

Noël Robb Ruth Noël Robb (born Barrow on 25 December 1913 - January 2009) was a South African activist and member of the Black Sash. Biography Robb was born in Plymouth on 25 December 1913. Robb most often went by her middle name, Noël. She graduated f ...

(1913-2009), South African activist *

Paul Robb Paul Jason Robb is a synthesizer player, producer, songwriter and one of the founding members of the band Information Society. Biography Robb was a member of Information Society from its inception in the early 1980s until 1992 (after its thir ...

, musician * Peter Robb (disambiguation), several people * R. C. Robb, British athlete at the 1908 Summer Olympics * Rafael Robb (born 1950), American economist * Ralph Robb (1800–1850), Scottish clergyman *

Richard Robb Richard Alexander Robb FRSE (1901–1977) was a Scottish mathematician, statistician and astronomer. A keen athlete, he won the Scottish 100m sprint and represented Great Britain in the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam on the sprint team (but won n ...

FRSE (1901-1977) Scottish statistician and athlete in the 1928 Olympics * Steven Robb (born 1982), Scottish footballer * Thomas Robb (born 1946), Ku Klux Klan director

References

{{surname, Robb English-language surnames Scottish surnames

People with the surname Robb

See also

References