Origins of the Roberts surname

What does the name Roberts mean?

Roberts is a popular British surname, believed to have two core origins. Firstly, the Roberts surname is thought to be patronymic, reflecting the 'son of Robert', particularly common in Wales (especially in the north of the country) and Scotland. The second supposed origin of this surname, which is more prevalent in England, relates to someone who is the 'servant of Robert'.

Alternative variations of the name Roberts

Roberts, Robert, Robarts, Robertes, Robart

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Delve deeper into the Roberts family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 1990North West 6639Isle of Man 209Yorkshire 8904East Midlands 1504West Midlands 5261East 2262London 23220South East 5504South West 10071South Wales 2987Mid Wales 1799West Wales 192North Wales 13661Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Robertses lived in london

Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

160,000 Roberts Travel & migration records
1,100,000 Robertses found in all Census records

Interesting facts about Roberts

How common is your surname?

14th most common surname in the UK

We have for the Roberts surname. The oldest one dates back to 1300.

Who were Robertses most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Robertses.

What are the most common Roberts first names?

John

William

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of Roberts family members
Man with milk churns and census card collage
Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Robertses

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Common female occupations for Robertses in 1921

Dressmaker

5,423

General Servant Domestic

3,344

Domestic Servant

3,312

House Servant

3,260

General Servant

3,006

Common male occupations for Robertses in 1921

Farmer

5,713

Coal Miner

5,389

Agricultural Labourer

4,221

General Labourer

3,803

Joiner

2,877

We found over 1,000,000 family trees with the Roberts surname

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