This very interesting and unusual surname may derive from the Latin root "robustus", from "robur", heart of. It may come from the Italian name "Robusti" from the Italian adjective "robusto", a nickname for a strong, hardy person. The name may also be from either (van) "Robais", a family in Zealand (Denmark) and Abbeville (France) or "Robuste", a family from Normandy, probably originating from the French adjective "robuste", meaning robust, sturdy, strong, perhaps a nickname given to a particularly sturdy, strong individual. The French name may have been introduced to England by French and Flemish Huguenots, fleeing religous perecution in the late 16th and 17th Centuries. John Robus married Elizabeth Horne on May 10th 1688, in London, while Ann Margueritte, daughter of Isaac and Margueritte Van Robais (French Huguenots) was christened at La Patente, Spitalfields, London on December 20th 1730. The coat of arms for "Robuste", includes two gold lions rampant above a gold mountain on a red field, while the coat of arms for (van) Robais, consists of a silver anchor on a blue shield and three red roses on a gold chief. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Rubish, which was dated December 16th 1607, christening witness at St. Mary, Mounthaw, London, during the reign of King James 1 of England and V1 of Scotland, 1603 - 1625. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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