| Parker | Robin | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Park keeper | Bright fame |
| Origin | English | English |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Pronunciation | PAR-ker | ROB-in |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1904 |
| Peak year | 2014 (5,720) | 1961 (15,653) |
| In 2025 | 3,477 | 400 |
| Trend | Steady | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Parker | Robin |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 22,420 | 2,018 |
| 2010s | 49,234 | 2,183 |
| 2000s | 35,729 | 2,581 |
| 1990s | 16,234 | 8,501 |
| 1980s | 2,800 | 22,694 |
| 1970s | 632 | 45,943 |
| 1960s | 524 | 118,327 |
| 1950s | 568 | 82,423 |
| 1940s | 578 | 6,169 |
| 1930s | 559 | 717 |
| 1920s | 728 | 303 |
| 1910s | 546 | 91 |
| 1900s | 143 | 11 |
| 1890s | 134 | 0 |
| 1880s | 112 | 0 |
An English occupational surname, “keeper of the park.”
Robin began as a medieval pet form of Robert (from Germanic “bright fame”) and was later linked to the robin bird. Famous as Robin Hood, it is now used for both sexes — Robyn is the usual female spelling.
Parker is more popular than Robin today: about 3,477 US babies were given the name Parker in 2025, compared with 400 named Robin.
Parker means Park keeper (English origin), while Robin means Bright fame (English origin).
In US records, Parker first appears in 1880 and Robin in 1904, so Parker has the longer recorded history.