Robinson

Rob·in·son
R1O1B3I1N1S1O1N1
UK/ˈɹɒb.ɪn.sən/US/ˈɹɑb.ɪn.sən/US/ˈɹɑb.ən.sən/

proper noun

A surname originating as a patronymic.

CommonScrabble 10

Meanings

proper nounRobinson (countable and uncountable, plural Robinsons)

plural Robinsons

  1. countableuncountableA surname originating as a patronymic.

    The Tory hard right is in the ascendancy, and a fascist street movement – led by convicted fraudster Tommy Robinson – represents a growing threat.

    2018 July 18, Owen Jones, “The hard right can only be defeated from the left, not from the centre”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 20 Aug 2018
  2. countableuncountableA male given name transferred from the surname.
  3. A placename given to several towns in the United States.
    1. countableuncountableA city, the county seat of Crawford County, Illinois.
    2. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Delaware County, Iowa.
    3. countableuncountableA minor city in Brown County, Kansas.
    4. countableuncountableA minor city in Kidder County, North Dakota.
    5. countableuncountableA city in McLennan County, Texas.
    6. countableuncountableAn extinct town in Okanogan County, Washington.
    7. countableuncountableA number of townships in the United States, listed under Robinson Township.
  4. countableuncountableA name given to several rivers in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
  5. abbreviationcountableellipsisinformaluncountableCambridge UniversityEllipsis of Robinson College, Cambridge.

Origin

  1. EnglishRobin
  2. Proto-Indo-European*sew-?
  3. Proto-Indo-European*sewH-
  4. Proto-Indo-European*suHnús
  5. Proto-Germanic*sunuz
  6. Proto-West Germanic*sunu
  7. Old Englishsunu
  8. Middle Englishsone
  9. EnglishRobinson

From Robin + -son.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Robinson. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Robinson

MLA

“Robinson.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Robinson. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Robinson,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Robinson.

Source: Robinson on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.