The historicity of Robin Hood has been debated for centuries. A difficulty with any such historical research is that "Robert" was a very common given name in medieval England, and "Robin" (or Robyn), was its very common diminutive, especially in the 13th century;[69] it is a French hypocorism,[70] already mentioned in the Roman de Renart in the 12th century. The surname "Hood" (or Hude, Hode, etc.) was also fairly common because it referred either to a hooder, who was a maker of hoods, or alternatively to somebody who wore a hood as a head-covering. Unsurprisingly, therefore, medieval records mention a number of people called "Robert Hood" or "Robin Hood", some of whom are known to have fallen foul of the law.
Another view on the origin on the name is expressed in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica which remarks that 'hood' was a common dialectical form of 'wood'; and that the outlaw's name has been given as "Robin Wood".[71] There are a number of references to Robin Hood as Robin Wood, or Whood, or Whod, from the 16th and 17th centuries. The earliest recorded example, in connection with May games in Somerset, dates from 1518