Robin
Robin was the 704th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 400 babies. Its best year was 1962, when it ranked 25th; the most babies were born in 1961 (15,653). Over the last ten years it has moved up 325 places. More babies were named Robin in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Robert; or the bird · English, French, Germanic
Say it RAH-bin /ˈrɑbɪn/
- Rank in 2025
- #704 girls, up 197 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 400girls
- Girls and boys
- 52% girls, 48% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 196115,653 babies
- Total since 1880
- 338,913babies recorded
What does the name Robin mean?
Robin began in Middle English as a pet form of Robert, borrowed from Old French, as Wiktionary explains. Robert itself means "bright fame," from Germanic elements that DMNES glosses as fame and bright. Wiktionary notes that as a girls' name Robin may also come from the bird. Robin has been used in the US since 1881 and was most common in the 1950s and 1960s.
*hrōþiz (Proto-Germanic, “fame”)*berhtaz (Proto-Germanic, “bright”)
How sure is this? Probable. For girls the bird association may matter more than the Robert origin.
Related names: Robert, Robyn, Rob, Bobbie.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Robin' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Robert', DMNES (Durham University)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Nicknames for Robin
The usual nicknames for Robin are Rob.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rob · also for Robert, Roberto | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Robins go by each one.
Robin popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #704 | #705 | 400 | 382 |
| 2020 | #901 | #874 | 293 | 259 |
| 2010 | #1,441 | #1,514 | 158 | 108 |
| 2000 | #598 | #1,058 | 423 | 136 |
| 1990 | #201 | #594 | 1,415 | 282 |
| 1980 | #109 | #388 | 2,807 | 443 |
| 1970 | #51 | #319 | 7,004 | 612 |
| 1960 | #33 | #200 | 13,971 | 1,432 |
| 1950 | #149 | #248 | 1,991 | 737 |
| 1940 | #468 | #408 | 206 | 200 |
| 1930 | #1,050 | #764 | 50 | 71 |
| 1920 | #2,004 | #1,032 | 20 | 46 |
| 1910 | #2,360 | — | 6 | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Robin, counting every spelling?
Robin is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #709 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #704 for Robin on its own. Together these spellings went to 400 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robin | 400 | #704 | 1,725 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Robin?
400 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Robin (0.11 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Robin born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 21 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Robin.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Robin?
About 253,200 people born in the US named Robin are alive today, with a median age of 62; half are between 54 and 67. That makes Robin a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Robin by state
How common Robin was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Oregon (2.2×), Washington (1.9×), Utah (1.8×), Wisconsin (1.7×), Colorado (1.7×). In 17 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Robin: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Robin, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Robin · Sibling names for Robin
Questions about the name Robin
What does Robin mean?
Robin means “pet form of Robert; or the bird” (English, French, Germanic origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Robin?
Robin was the 704th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 400 babies. Its best year was 1962, when it ranked 25th; the most babies were born in 1961 (15,653). Over the last ten years it has moved up 325 places. More babies were named Robin in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Robin a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 52% girls, 48% boys given the name Robin in the US.
Where is Robin most popular?
In 2021–2025, Robin was most common in Oregon (0.48 per 1,000 girls), followed by Delaware and Washington.