Where does “Dobbing” come from?

Dobbing (English) comes from English Dobbin, from English Dobb, from English Robert, from Anglo-Norman Robert.

Ancestry of “Dobbing”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishDobbinA pet name given to workhorses, and by extension, a placeholder name used for any workhorse, much like John Q. Public and other such placeholders are used for people
2EnglishDobb—
3EnglishRobert—
4Anglo-NormanRobert—
Every word from Anglo-Norman Robert →