Roberts Surname: Origin and Coat of Arms
What does Roberts mean, and where does it come from? Here is a brief introduction.
Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Roberts coat of arms for you.
Origin of the Roberts name
Roberts is a patronymic meaning "son of Robert", a Germanic name joining hrod, "fame", and berht, "bright". Robert came to Britain with the Normans and became very popular. The surname is especially common in Wales, where patronymics were fixed late, and also across England and the United States.
Our historical archives hold much more on the Roberts name: dates, names and records of early bearers.
This overview covers the Roberts name in Wales. We also hold records of the name in other countries, such as the United States, Australia and England; your full pack is researched for your family's country of origin.
Get your full Roberts family history
Order the full Roberts history to read the records behind the name, with a Roberts coat of arms painted for your family.
Roberts name FAQ
What does the Roberts name mean?
Son of Robert, "bright fame". Common variants include Robertson, Robarts, Probert.
Where does the Roberts surname come from?
It originates in Wales, and is also found in the United States, Australia and England.
Is there a Roberts coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals, not whole surnames, so there is no single Roberts crest. Herald Lab paints a personalized Roberts coat of arms based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010.