Name Robin Origin, meaning, pronunciation & popularity of the name Robin

Robin is a ♀ girl’s name and a ♂ boy’s name. Robin thus belongs to the gender-neutral unisex names.

What is the origin of the name Robin?

Robin is a name for boys and girls. The masculine name is a short form of the Old German name Robert. The feminine name derives from the red-breasted bird.

What does the name Robin mean?

Robin means “bright fame” or “shining glory” (for boys) and “robin” (the bird, for girls).

Robin as a unisex name

The name Robin is mostly used as a girl’s name in the English speaking world. With the association of the robin bird, it is a truly sweet name for girls. In German speaking areas on the contrary, Robin is used as a boy’s name. For a nickname, you could choose Rob, Robbie or Ro. Another spelling option is Robyn. It is nice to give a second name to your little Robin. Options for a boy are: Robin Walter, Robin John, Robin Michael, Robin Christopher and Robin Dylan. For a girl, Robin Molly, Robin Jessica, Robin Charleen, Robin Erica, Robin Tamara and Robin Leslie are good choices.

Famous people named Robin

• Robin McLaurin Williams, better known as Robin Williams (1951 - 2014) was a world-famous American actor. He distinguished himself with his varied roles, ranging from tragicomedies, to psychological dramas, to family films. Robin Williams was awarded an Oscar once and a Golden Globe five times. He is especially known for his performances in “Good Morning, Vietnam” (1987), “Mrs. Doubtfire” (1993) and “Jumanji” (1995). In his private life, Robin was a big fan of video games such as “Legend of Zelda”, which is why he named his daughter Zelda Rae after the main character of the games. His death in 2014 caused worldwide mourning and consternation among fans.
• The actress Robin Wright was born in Texas in 1966. She was awarded the Golden Globe and has been involved in some major productions. Robin Wright could be seen in the series “House of Cards” and “Ozark” and in the film productions “Wonder Woman” and “Blade Runner 2049”. She was married to fellow actor Sean Penn for a long time and has two children with him.

Robin in fiction

• In the world-famous US sitcom “How I met your mother” (2005 - 2014), one of the main characters is named Robin Scherbatsky. Robin is a Canadian journalist who joins the group of friends around Ted Mosby after moving to New York. Robin is played by Cobie Smulders.
• Robin is the side character in the famous Batman comics. He made a first appearance in a comic from 1940 and stayed as a permanent sidekick ever since. The original idea came to the creators because they thought, that the young readers would need a character to identify with in the series. Additionally, there was no one in the first comics for Batman to share his thoughts with, so he always talked in monologues. With Robin, he had a friend and helper to communicate with, which made the comics more lively and relatable. Nowadays, there are countless movies and shows about Batman, but not all of them include Robin as a character.
• Robin Hood is a well-known hero and the central figure of many tales and stories. But where does the story of Robin Hood come from? Already from the late Middle Ages mentions of Robin Hood are handed down. As early as 1261, there are sources that prove the use of the name. So was there a real Robin Hood? That is not so easy to answer. The name or term “Robin Hood” was synonymous with a “lawbreaker” in medieval England, which is why the mentions in the sources probably referred to recorded criminals, but not necessarily to men named Robin Hood. In the following centuries up to the early modern period, English ballad cycles emerged with Robin Hood as the central figure, from which the saga we know today was formed. Over the years, Robin changes from a simple highwayman who robs greedy clergy and nobles to an Anglo-Saxon patriot and representative of social justice who takes from the rich to give to the poor. His henchmen are the “Merry Men” and in modern times they are also joined by the love story with Maid Marian. In the saga, the law against which Robin fights is embodied by the Sheriff of Nottingham. There are countless books, plays and film adaptations of the story of Robin Hood. A star-studded version is from 1991 “Robin Hood - King of Thieves” with Kevin Costner, Alan Rickman, Sean Connery and Morgan Freeman. in 2018, a Robin Hood film adaptation came out again, starring Taron Egerton.

Pronunciation of Robin

Variants of the name Robin

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