| Robin | Sawyer | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Bright fame | Woodcutter |
| Origin | English | English |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Pronunciation | ROB-in | SOY-er |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1904 | 1913 |
| Peak year | 1961 (15,653) | 2015 (4,272) |
| In 2025 | 400 | 2,941 |
| Trend | Rising | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Robin | Sawyer |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 2,018 | 17,914 |
| 2010s | 2,183 | 34,031 |
| 2000s | 2,581 | 10,153 |
| 1990s | 8,501 | 3,453 |
| 1980s | 22,694 | 275 |
| 1970s | 45,943 | 5 |
| 1960s | 118,327 | 0 |
| 1950s | 82,423 | 0 |
| 1940s | 6,169 | 0 |
| 1930s | 717 | 0 |
| 1920s | 303 | 0 |
| 1910s | 91 | 7 |
| 1900s | 11 | 0 |
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.
An English occupational surname, “one who saws wood.”
Sawyer is more popular than Robin today: about 2,941 US babies were given the name Sawyer in 2025, compared with 400 named Robin.
Robin means Bright fame (English origin), while Sawyer means Woodcutter (English origin).
In US records, Robin first appears in 1904 and Sawyer in 1913, so Robin has the longer recorded history.