Robertson

An Irish surname of Ulster. In the 2010 US census it was carried by 153,666 people, the 175th most common surname in the country.

Robertson is the anglicised form of three distinct Irish names. Some you can hear in the English name; others look and sound nothing like it, and were simply swapped for it.

Mac Dhonnchadha, Mac Dhonnchaidh

Mac Roibeáird, Mac Roibeaird, son of Robert

Robustún

Where the name comes from

Mac Roibeáird is son of Robert, and it gives MacRoberts, MacCrobarts, Roberts and Robertson.

Mac Dhonnchadha is a very different name that arrives at the same place: a variant of Mac Donnchadha, common in the spoken language, behind MacConachie, MacConnaghy, MacConaghy, MacConkey and Conify. Robustún, on the other hand, is as old as the 16th century and seems to be merely a phonetic rendering of the English surname Robertson.

The Giant's Causeway at twilight with wet hexagonal basalt columns stretching to the sea and long exposure blurred waves
The Giant's Causeway, Co. Antrim

Ulster, photographed

Photographs made in Ulster.

Antrim

The Antrim coast road runs about 25 miles between the cliffs and the sea, with nine glens coming down to it. The rock is basalt, the same flow that formed the Giant's Causeway. Scotland is 12 miles off at the narrowest point and visible on a clear day.

The iconic Dark Hedges beech tree tunnel near Armoy in County Antrim with intertwined branches forming a brooding canopyThe Dark Hedges, Co. Antrim Co. Antrim Long exposure of Pan's Rock with its footbridge at dawn on the Antrim Causeway Coast, silky water and blurred clouds, Rathlin Island on the horizonPan's Rock, Co. Antrim Co. Antrim Sunrise over Colliery Bay with Fair Head cliffs and mountains, Co. Antrim, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxColliery Bay & Fair Head, Co. Antrim Co. Antrim Dunluce Castle on coastal cliffs with long exposure sea, Co. Antrim, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxDunluce Castle, Co. Antrim Co. Antrim Black and white photograph of a rainstorm sweeping across the Skerries islands off the North Antrim coast near PortrushRainstorm, the Skerries, Co. Antrim Co. Antrim

Donegal

Slieve League is about 600 metres from clifftop to sea, one of the highest sea cliffs in Europe. Errigal is the highest mountain in the county at 751 metres, and it's quartzite, so it turns pink in low light. Glenveagh National Park covers about 16,000 hectares behind them.

Nocturne, Fanad Head, Co. DonegalNocturne, Fanad Head, Co. Donegal Co. Donegal Fanad Head Lighthouse at dawn with sunrise over Inishowen, Co. Donegal, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxFanad Head at Dawn, Co. Donegal Co. Donegal St. John's Point Lighthouse standing on the headland on a bright spring day with green grass, DonegalSt. John's Point Lighthouse, Co. Donegal Co. Donegal Tory Island Lighthouse beam sweeping through hazy night air on both sides of the tower in a long exposure on the Donegal coastNocturne, Tory Island Lighthouse, Co. Donegal Co. Donegal Intense double rainbow arching across the sky over green mountains near Glencolmcille in County DonegalRainbow, Glencolmcille, Co. Donegal Co. Donegal Black and white view of Glengesh Pass with a winding road through rolling hills, Co. Donegal — fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxGlengesh Pass, Co. Donegal Co. Donegal

All Antrim prints · All Donegal prints

Notable bearers

Andy Robertson (born 1994), association football player.

Cliff Robertson (1923-2011), film actor.

Oscar Robertson (born 1938), basketball player and basketball coach.

Britt Robertson (born 1990), actor and film director.

Neil Robertson (born 1982), snooker player.

No county is recorded for this name, so this page works from the province the figures point to rather than a single place.

About this page

The counties on this page are where the name was thickest on the ground in Ireland a century and a half ago, not a claim about any one family. Names moved around inside the country as much as they left it. The photographs are mine, made in the counties named.

More Irish surnames: Smith · Brown · Miller · Wilson · Anderson · Thomas · Taylor · Moore · Jackson · Martin · Lee · Thompson

How common the name was

In 1890, 18 births were registered under Robertson in Ireland and no county is recorded for it. Ulster holds 50 per cent of that total, which is where this page looks.

Ulster 9
Leinster 5
Munster 3
Connacht 1
Ireland 18