Robillard
A French surname most likely built from the old name Robert, though some 19th-century writers also linked it to a word for “red.”
The #9,301 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 88,238 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The most likely explanation is that Robillard is a French surname formed from Robert with a diminutive or derivative ending, giving a sense of “little Robert” or “descendant of Robert.” The historical note provided also mentions an older guess connecting it with a word meaning “red,” but that explanation is less secure. Overall, the name is best treated as a French patronymic surname of uncertain exact formation.
History
The name is found in French naming tradition and appears in variant spellings such as Robilliard, Robillot, and Robilon. In North America it is especially associated with French and French-Canadian family lines. Nineteenth-century surname writers sometimes debated whether such forms came from Robert or from a descriptive root, showing that the name’s exact early development was not fully settled.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century surname scholar grouped Robillard with several related French forms and treated them as likely offshoots of Robert rather than as independent names.
From the historical record
“ou de Rob : rouge (oil). Robillard, Robilliard, Robil- lot, Robilon. rent ê.i-e un dérivé de Robert, aussi bien que Limbil- lotle est nu dérivé de I.ambert. Il y aurait lieu toutefois do chercher si Rober : prendre, Roh : rouge (oilt,”
— Dictionnaire des noms (French surnames)