Dobbins
A patronymic surname meaning “son of Dob,” a short form of Robert.
The #2,407 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 20,479 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Dobbins is an English patronymic built from Dob, a medieval nickname for Robert, plus the ending -ins, meaning “son of” or “belonging to.” In that sense, the name literally means “descendant of Dob.” The root Robert comes from old Germanic elements meaning “bright fame.”
History
Bardsley and Lower both treat Dobbins as part of the large family of Robert surnames, alongside Dobbs, Dobson, and Dobinson. The form is found in English records and later appears in Ireland as well, where it was carried by English-speaking families and sometimes recorded in local surname surveys. The spelling has been fairly stable, though related forms vary widely.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same nickname Dob that produced Dobbins also gave rise to several other surname branches, making Robert one of the most productive personal names in English surname history.
From the historical record
“DobblUjIlobbliigJJobbliigs, Pobbyn, Bobbyna, Doblneon, Dobbins.— BapL 'the son of Robert,' from nick. Dob, dim. Dob- in ; cf. Rob and Rob-in. Dobbin, from being a pet name for a horse, became a speciHc term for an old”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances