Dobbs
Dobbs is a pet-form surname from Robert, ultimately coming from the medieval nickname Dob.
The #1,956 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 16,711 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Dobbs is an English surname that began as a nickname from Dob, a familiar medieval short form of Robert. The name Robert ultimately comes from Germanic elements meaning 'fame' and 'bright' or 'shining.' The final -s in Dobbs is the common English patronymic or possessive ending, so the surname originally meant 'Dob's son' or 'the family of Dob.'
History
Early surname writers such as Lower and Bardsley explicitly connect Dobbs with Robert through the nickname Dob. The spelling with -bb- and -s fits a broad English pattern in which pet names produced hereditary surnames. Related forms include Dobb, Dobbin, Dobby, Dobbie, and Dobson, which spread especially in English-speaking areas.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley noted that Dobbs belongs to a whole family of surname forms built from the medieval pet-name Dob, alongside Hobbs from Hob.
From the historical record
“B in nicks becomes Ii and d. This is of historic interest (i) Hence nicks. Hob and Dob, for Robert ; whence Hobbs, Dobbs, &c. (2) Hence nicks, Hodge and Dodge, for Roger ; whence Hodgson, Dodgson, &c. {5) Hence Hick ' and Dick for Richard (the first in the surname period seemingly”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances