Robin

Robin meaning

Robin is a Christian and international boy's name of English origin (pet form of Robert).

Pet name for Robert, 'fame-bright' (Old High German ruod + beraht)

Also used to mean: bright fame, shining with glory

Robin began in medieval France and England as a pet form of Robert. Webster's 1913 dictionary calls it 'properly a pet name for Robert' and traces Robert to Old High German Roudperht, from ruod, 'fame, glory', and beraht, 'bright', so the name means 'bright fame'. The red-breasted bird was named after the man's name, not the other way round. The outlaw hero Robin Hood made it famous in English ballads. In India Robin is mainly a boy's name in Christian families, while Robyn is the usual spelling for girls; the cricketer Robin Uthappa is a well-known bearer.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), s.v. robin · entry robin · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Webster's 1913, Robin · Köbler, Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, beraht

Famous namesakes

• Robin Hood, legendary English outlaw
• Robin Uthappa, Indian cricketer

Popularity abroad

• #705 United States, boys 2025 (up 94 from 799 in 2024)
  US Social Security Administration
• #109 England and Wales, boys 2025
  Office for National Statistics

Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.

Spellings

Robin · Robbin

Related names

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