Robb

Last updated

Robb is a surname of Scottish origin, formed from a diminution (reduction) of the name Robert. [1] 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, Lanarkshire and later in Perthshire/Stirlingshire. 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' in common with some other three letter surnames. Today Rob is also a surname in Slovenia, Croatia and the Czech Republic although the derivation is different. Rob also appears as a popular surname in Bangladesh and Kenya. Robe or Robbe is a popular surname in Germany, Holland, Belgium and France and also mainly derives from a diminution of Robert.

Although the surname originates in Scotland, Protestant branches of the family settled in Ireland during the sixteenth century Plantations, with the earliest record of the name appearing in Protestant Muster Rolls in the early 1630s. The Robb of Timpany family is thought to have 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. A descendant Captain James Robb built Timpany House in 1780. An 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 Arms are recorded as a 'Paly of eight arg and az, a canton gu' in the early C19th. The Robb crest shows a bare arm holding a chapeau surrounded with a laurel wreath. The vast majority of Robb Crests and 'Coats of Arms' advertised on the internet are false.

It appears that many Robbs emigrated to the New World 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 origin. Amongst many Scottish settlers, there were three Jacobite soldiers (from Angus and Midlothian) transported to America following the Jacobite rising of 1715, and the first Free Church of Scotland Minister to settle in Canada was the Rev. Ralph Robb (1800–1850) a native of Logie parish near Stirling.

The name is often recorded as a sept 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. [2]

People with the surname Robb include:

See also

Related Research Articles

Hodgson is a surname. In Britain, the Hodgson surname was the 173rd most common in 1881 and the 206th most common in 1998. In the United States of America, Hodgson was the 3753rd most popular surname in the 1990 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akins</span> Scottish surname and northern Irish family name

Akins is a Scottish surname and northern Irish family name.

Cochrane is a surname with multiple independent origins, two Scottish and one Irish. One of the Scottish names derives from a place in Scotland; the Irish surname and the other Scottish surname are both anglicisations of surnames from the Irish language and Scottish Gaelic respectively.

MacDonald, Macdonald, and McDonald are surnames of both Irish and Scottish Origin. In the Scottish Gaelic and Irish languages they are patronymic, referring to an ancestor with given name Donald.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orr (surname)</span> Surname list

Orr is a surname of Scottish and Ulster-Scots origin. It is derived from the Gaelic Odhar meaning "dark, pale". In Scotland, Orr may be a sept of Clan Campbell.

Dickson or, as is common in England, Dixon, is a patronymic surname, traditionally Scottish and thought to have originated upon the birth of the son of Richard Keith, son of Hervey de Keith, Earl Marischal of Scotland, and Margaret, daughter of the 3rd Lord of Douglas.

Currie is a surname in the English language. The name has numerous origins.

Gardner is a surname of English, Scottish and Irish origin. Most sources say it is an occupational surname that comes from the word "gardener". Other sources claim that it is derived from the old English words gar-dyn meaning "warrior", "one who bears arms". In Ireland, the surname is an anglicized form of the Gaelic MacGairnéir. Variants include Gardyner, Gardener, Gardenar, Gardinier, Gardiner, and Gardner; the last two are the most common today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clan MacFarlane</span> Highland Scottish clan

Clan MacFarlane is a Highland Scottish clan. Descended from the medieval Earls of Lennox, the MacFarlanes occupied the land forming the western shore of Loch Lomond from Tarbet up-wards. From Loch Sloy, a small sheet of water near the foot of Ben Vorlich, they took their war cry of Loch Slòigh.

MacPherson or Macpherson is a surname, meaning "son of the parson" in Scottish Gaelic. Notable people with the surname include:

Scott is a surname of Scottish origin. It is first attributed to Uchtredus filius Scoti who is mentioned in the charter recording the foundation of Holyrood Abbey and Selkirk in 1120, the border Riding clans who settled Peeblesshire in the 10th century and the family lineage of the Duke of Buccleuch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McGowan</span> Surname list

McGowan is an Irish and Scottish surname. It is an Anglicization of the Irish Mac Gabhann and Scottish Mac Gobhann, both of which mean 'son of (the) smith'. Belonging to the Uí Echach Cobo, located in modern-day western County Down, Ulster, they were of the same stock as the McGuinness clan.

The etymology of the surname Morrison is either Anglo-Norman, commonly found throughout England, Scotland and Ireland, or from the Clan Morrison, a Scottish clan originally from Sutherland and the Isle of Lewis in Scotland.

Livingston is a surname with several different origins. The name itself originates in Scotland as a habitational name derived from Livingston in Lothian which was originally named in Middle English Levingston. This place name was originally named after a man named Levin who appears in several 12th-century charters. In Ireland, the name was adopted by people bearing the Gaelic surnames Ó Duinnshléibhe and Mac Duinnshléibhe. Livingston can also be an Americanized form of Lowenstein, a Jewish surname.

Morrow is an anglicized surname of Irish or Scottish origins.

MacGregor is a Scottish surname. The name is Anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic MacGriogair. The Gaelic name was originally a patronym, and means "son of Griogar". The Gaelic personal name Griogar is a Gaelicised form of the name Gregory. The surname is used by members of the Scottish clan Clan Gregor, also known as Clan MacGregor.

M'Intosh, McIntosh, MacIntosh, Macintosh, or Mackintosh is a Scottish surname, originating from the Clan Mackintosh. Mac an Tòisich means leader/chief.

MacArthur or Macarthur is a surname, originating with the Scottish Clan MacArthur and now spread through English-speaking countries. Notable people with the surname include:

MacFarlane or Macfarlane is a surname derived from the Gaelic patronymic Mac Phàrlain, shared by:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maguire family</span> Surname list

The Maguire family is an Irish clan based in County Fermanagh. The name derives from the Gaelic Mac Uidhir, which is "son of Odhar" meaning "dun", "dark one". According to legend, this relates to the eleventh descendant of Colla da Chrich, great-grandson of Cormac mac Airt, who was monarch of Ireland about the middle of the third century. From the 13th to the 17th centuries, the Maguire family were kings of Fermanagh.

References

  1. ↑ The Surnames of Scotland by George F Black (1946)
  2. ↑ National Records of Scotland website
WPanthroponymy.svg
This page lists people with the surname Robb.
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.