Robin is a unisex given name and a surname. It was originally a diminutive masculine given name or nickname of Robert, derived from the prefix Ro- (hrod, Old Germanic, meaning "fame" and berht, meaning "bright"), and the suffix -in (Old French diminutive). There are several common variations, including Robyn, Robbin, Robine, Robyne, Robynne, and Robbyn.[2] Robin has its origin in France and is also a very common surname in France. Robin is occasionally found as a surname in English-speaking countries. Common nicknames are Rob, Robbie or Bobby.[1]
 Robin Hood (statue in Nottingham) | |
| Pronunciation | UK English /ˈrɒb.ɪn/, American English /ˈrɑb.ɪn/ |
|---|---|
| Gender | Unisex (Originally only male) |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | France, Germany |
| Meaning | "Fame-bright", diminutive |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Robinson, Robbin, Robine, Roben, Robyn, Robbyn, Robben, Robert |
| [1] | |
In Europe, although it is sometimes regarded as a feminine name, it is generally given to boys. In 2014, 88% of babies named Robin in England were boys.[3] In the United States, it used to be more popular as a feminine name. Around its peak popularity in 1956, it was the 29th most popular name for girls and the 143rd most popular name for boys.[2] The gender gap has narrowed as the name has become generally less popular.
Given name
edit- Robin Aitken (born 1952), British journalist
- Robin Allison, New Zealand architect
- Robin Antin (born 1961), American-born music video director, best known for being the creator for the hip-hop/R&B group Pussycat Dolls
- Robin Barnett (born 1958), British diplomat
- Robin Bell, American scientist
- Robin Bengtsson (born 1990), Swedish singer
- Robin Blaze (born 1971), English countertenor
- Robin Briant (born 1939), New Zealand doctor
- Robin Boyd (architect) (1919–1971), Australian architect
- Robin Boyd (theologian) (1924–2018), Irish theologian and missionary
- Robin Brockway, British actor
- Robin Brown
- Robin Bruyère (born 1992), Belgian politician
- Pauline "Robin" Robinson Bush (1949–1953), daughter of George H. W. Bush
- Robin Bush (1943–2010), English historian
- Robin Buxton Potts, Canadian politician
- Robin Chase, co-founder and former CEO of Zipcar
- DJ Robin Clark (born 1982), German hardstyle DJ and record producer
- Robin Cole (born 1955), American football player
- Robin Coleman (born 1973), American actress and strongwoman
- Robin R. Means Coleman (born 1969), American author, scholar and educator
- Robin G. Collingwood (1889–1943), English philosopher, historian and archaeologist
- Robin Cook (1946–2005), British Member of Parliament, used the name instead of his given name Robert
- Robin Cook (American novelist) (born 1940), American doctor and novelist
- Robin Cousins (born 1957), British Olympic gold medal figure skater
- Robin Curtis (born 1956), American actress
- Sir Robin Day (1923–2000), British political commentator and journalist
- Robin Darwall-Smith, British archivist
- Robin Darwin (1910–1974), British artist
- Robin de Kruijf (born 1991), Dutch volleyball player
- Robin Dutt (born 1965), German football manager
- Robin Fernando (1937–2022), Sri Lankan actor
- Robin Finck (born 1971), guitarist for Nine Inch Nails and Guns N' Roses
- Robin Gibb (1949–2012), member of the pop group trio, the Bee Gees
- Robin Givens (born 1964), American actress
- Robin Goad (born 1970), American weightlifter
- Robin Goomes, New Zealand mountain biker
- Robin Gosens (born 1994), German footballer
- Robin Haigh (born 1993), Irish/British composer
- Robin Hartshorne (born 1938), American mathematician
- Robin Herman (1951-2022), American sports journalist
- Robin Hobb (born 1952), American fantasy author
- Robin Hunter (1929–2004), British actor
- Robin Hurlstone (born 1958), British actor
- Robin Ince (born 1969), British comedian
- Robin Knox-Johnston (born 1939), British sailor
- Robin Korving (born 1974), Dutch hurdler
- Robin Laws (born 1964), Canadian violinist
- Robin Leach (1941–2018), host of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
- Robin Lodders (born 1994), German basketball player
- Robin Martin-Jenkins (born 1975), English cricketer
- Robin Meade (born 1969), lead news anchor for HLN's morning show Morning Express with Robin Meade
- Robin Miller (chef) (born 1966), an American chef, host of Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller
- Robin Morgan (born 1941), American writer and women's rights activist
- Robin Moulder (born 1966), bassist for the bands TCR and Jack Off Jill
- Robin Moore (1925–2008), American writer
- Robin Muhr (born 1995), Israeli Olympic equestrian
- Robin Nedwell (1946–1999), English actor
- Robin Nievera (born 1986), Filipino singer-songwriter
- Robin Peace, New Zealander social scientist
- Robin Pecknold (born 1986), American singer, songwriter and guitarist, lead vocalist for Fleet Foxes
- Robin Quivers (born 1952), American radio personality, co-host of The Howard Stern Show
- Robin Roberts (baseball) (1926–2010), American baseball player
- Robin Roberts (newscaster) (born 1960), American newscaster
- Robin S. (born 1962), American dance vocalist
- Robin Schulz (born 1987), German DJ, record producer, and remixer
- Robin Shaw, American politician
- Robin Singh (disambiguation), various people
- Robin Daniel Skinner (born 1998), English singer-songwriter, record producer, and YouTuber
- Robin Smith (comics), British comic book artist
- Robin Smith (cricketer) (born 1963), South African-born English international
- Robin Smith (chess player) (1952–2009), American correspondence chess champion
- Robin Söderling (born 1984), Swedish tennis player
- Robin Stevens (puppeteer) (born 1960), English puppeteer, actor, television director, and writer
- Robin Stevenson, Canadian children's book writer
- Robin Tait (1940–1984), New Zealand discus thrower
- Robin Lord Taylor (born 1978), American actor
- Robin Tenney (born 1958), American tennis player
- Robin Thicke (born 1977), Canadian-American R&B singer-songwriter and musician
- Robin L. Titus (born 1954), Republican member of the Nevada Assembly
- Robin Tonniau (born 1985), Belgian politician
- Robin Trower (born 1945), guitarist for his own eponymous band and Procol Harum
- Robin Tunney (born 1972), Irish-American actress
- Robin Turner (born 1976), New Zealand professor of biostatistics
- Robin Uthappa (born 1985), Indian cricketer
- Robin van Persie (born 1983), Dutch football player
- Robin Ventura (born 1967), American baseball player and manager
- Robin Waterfield (born 1952), British classical scholar
- Robin Williams (1951–2014), Academy Award-winning American actor and comedian
- Robin Williamson (born 1943), Scottish musician and founding member of The Incredible String Band
- Robin Windsor (1979–2024), professional dancer
- Robin Wright, actress
- Robin Yalçın (born 1994), German footballer of Turkish descent
- Robin Yount (born 1955), baseball player
- Robin Zander (born 1953), lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Cheap Trick
- Robin (singer) (born 1998), full name Robin Packalen, Finnish singer
- Rockin' Robin (wrestler) (born Robin Smith, 1965), American WWF performer
Fictional characters
edit- Robin Hood, legendary English outlaw
- Robin (comics), Batman's sidekick from DC comics
- Robin Goodfellow, common pseudonym of Puck in folklore
- Robin the Frog, Muppet nephew of Kermit the Frog
- Robin Vote, main character in Djuna Barnes's novel Nightwood
- Robin Scherbatsky, in the American television show How I Met Your Mother
- Robin Scorpio-Drake, HIV positive doctor on the American television soap opera General Hospital
- Robin Sena, main character in the anime Witch Hunter Robin
- Robin Oakapple, main character in the opera Ruddigore by Gilbert & Sullivan
- Robin, from Mona the Vampire
- Robin Ellacott, one of the protagonists from the Cormoran Strike series of books
- Robin Branagh, a character from British children's TV series Young Dracula
- Robin, default name of main character from the video game Fire Emblem Awakening
- Robyn Miller, a character from British TV series Casualty
- Robin Griffin, main character from the series Top of the Lake, by Jane Campion
- Robin, local carpenter and mother of Sebastian and Maru in the video game Stardew Valley
- Robin Buckley, character from the Netflix original series Stranger Things who first appears in the third season
- Robin, caveman character from the BBC TV series Ghosts
- Robin Newman, law student in the video game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney − Dual_Destinies
- Robin Nico (Nico Robin), archaeologist of the Straw Hat Pirates in the manga series One Piece
- Robin Ramzinski, main character, better known by his ring name Randy "The Ram" Robinson, in The Wrestler
- Robin Mittal ( Founder Corporate Raasta Consulting)
- Robin Sterling, a character from the fashion doll franchise Rainbow High (dolls)
- Robin Swift, the protagonist of the novel Babel, or the Necessity of Violence by R. F. Kuang
- Robin, a playable character from Honkai: Star Rail
Pseudonyms
edit- Robin, a pen-name of Sir Robert Walpole
Surname
edit- Charles Robin, businessman from the Isle of Jersey
- Charles-Philippe Robin (1821–1885), French anatomist and biologist
- Dany Robin (1927–1995), French actress
- Emily Robin (1874–1929), British bordello owner
- Gabriela Robin, singer and lyricist
- Gabriel Robin (1902-1970), French painter
- Guillaume Robin, 15th-century French architect
- James Robin (1817–1894), South Australian businessman
- Jean Robin (disambiguation), multiple people
- Jean-Cyril Robin (born 1969), French former professional road racing cyclist
- Leo Robin (1900–1984), American composer, lyricist and songwriter
- Mado Robin (1918–1960), French coloratura singer
- Manas Robin (born 1979), Indian singer, composer and lyricist.
- Marie-Monique Robin (born 1960), French journalist
- Marthe Robin (1902–1981), French Roman Catholic mystic
- Martial Robin (born 1977), French football player
- Michel Robin (1930–2020), French film, stage, and television actor
- Régine Robin (1939–2021), novelist, writer, translator and professor of sociology
- Ron Robin (born 1951), Israeli historian and President of the University of Haifa
- Teddy Robin (born 1945), Hong Kong English pop singer-songwriter, actor, and director
- Victor Gustave Robin (1855–1897), French mathematician
Fictional characters
edit- Christopher Robin, young boy in A. A. Milne's work, most notably his Winnie-the-Pooh books
- Fanny Robin, in Thomas Hardy's novel Far from the Madding Crowd
See also
edit- Robin (disambiguation)
- Robyn (name)
- Robbyn
- Robben
- Robinson (name)
- Robene and Makyne, genre names for characters in Scottish pastourelle
References
edit- ^ a b Robin - Origin and Meaning of the name Robin at BabyNames.com
- ^ a b c "Popular Baby Names". Social Security. Social Security Administration.
- ^ Office of National Statistics, UK
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