Roberson
A surname that usually means “son of Robert,” with Robert itself meaning “bright fame.”
The #605 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 5,496 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Roberson is a patronymic surname built on the personal name Robert, so it means “son of Robert.” Robert comes from old Germanic elements meaning “fame” and “bright,” often explained as “bright fame.” The surname spelling with -son is a straightforward English formation, and historical writers treated it as a variant of Robertson or a related form of Robert-derived names.
History
In English records, Roberson appears alongside other Robert-based surnames such as Robertson and Roberts, reflecting the popularity of the given name Robert in medieval and later Britain. It is especially familiar in English-speaking countries, and in the United States it became a well-established surname in its own right. Nineteenth-century surname writers often grouped it with other spellings descended from Robert.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The underlying name Robert was so popular in medieval Europe that it generated a whole family of surnames in many different spellings.
From the historical record
“ROBEARTS = Roberts, q.v. ROBERSON for Robertson, q.v. ROBERT (Teut.) i FAME-BRiGHT[Fr. Robert, O. , TevLt.Hruodber(a)ht,Ruodperht, etc.(Mod.H. GeT.Rupreckt,etc.),HrdVberht,Hr^biart,etc. — O.H.Ger. h)ruod- = O.Sax. *hri}S- = O.E. A>-<«S- (hr^ = O.N. hr(fS-r, fame, victory + O.H.Ger. beraht = O.Sax. berht = O.E.…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)