The meaning of the name “Robert” is: “Bright fame”.
Additional information: Robert is a masculine name of Germanic origin, and originally derived from the Old High German name Hrodebert, which came from hroud (fame, glory) and berth (bright), giving Robert the meaning ‘Bright Fame’. It was introduced to the English language by the Normans, and effectively replaced the much longer name Hreodbeorht. The Low German form is Ruprecht, meaning that the name Rupert can be used as a similar replacement for Robert.
Diminutives for Robert can either involve shortening the name (Rob, Robbie, Bert or Bertie), or nicknames such as Bob, Bobby or Robin. Feminine forms of the name Robert include Bobbie, Roberta and Robyn, with similar diminutives to their masculine equivalent. As the name descended from German, it has a number of foreign variants, including Roberto (Italian), Ruperto (Spanish), and Hopcyn (Welsh). Robert is commonly misspelled as ‘Rober’, ‘Robet’, and ‘Robbert’.
Robert has been a consistently popular name in the English language since its introduction after the Norman Conquest. It was consistently the most popular name for boys in the USA from 1924 to 1939, but since the start of the twenty-first century its popularity has waned slightly – it was the 61st most popular name for boys in 2014. Up until the late eighties, Robert saw some popularity as a feminine name, although it never reached higher than the top 300 names. Robert is a less popular name in England and Wales, but not by much – it was the 96th most popular name for boys in 2014.
Famous celebrities with the name Robert include film director Robert Altman, composer Robert Schumann, Scottish novelist Robert Louis Stevenson, poets Robert Burns and Robert Browning, Robert De Niro (American actor), Robert Redford (actor) and Robert Duvall (American actor and director). Famous scientists bearing the name include Robert Hooke, Robert Boyle and Robert Oppenheimer. It has also been the name of rulers from Normandy, Germany, France, Naples, and Scotland. Robert (Bobby) Kennedy was the younger brother of US President John F Kennedy and was US Attorney General. He was later assassinated.
There have been various saints named Robert. St. Robert of Molesme was one of the founders of the Cistercian monastic order. St Robert Bellarmine was a Catholic Cardinal, and is one of the Doctors of the Church.
There were three kings of Scotland named Robert. The first was Robert the Bruce, who expelled the English led by Edward II from Scotland, concluding the war of independence with the Battle of Bannockburn.
The inspiration for Chucky, the doll from the horror film Child’s Play, was a doll named Robert owned by the painter and author Robert Eugene Otto. The doll was supposedly cursed, and has been credited with moving his face, talking, moving furniture, cursing other people, and even murder.
The first thing you should know if you are considering Robert for your baby's name is that in most countries all over the world the name Robert is a boy name.
The name Robert is of French, Germanic origins, which means it has more than one root, and is used in more than one countries and different languages of the world, especially Czech speaking countries, Danish speaking countries, Dutch speaking countries, English speaking countries, French speaking countries, German speaking countries, Hungarian speaking countries, Norwegian speaking countries, Swedish speaking countries among others.
If you consider naming your baby Robert we recommend you take note of the special meaning and history of the name as your baby’s name will play a big role in its life and your baby will hear it spoken every day. Searching for a name is a very important and fun process as it’s the very first gift you will give to your baby. Many people believe that the name can affect success in life, through their children's working career and other circumstances, so they choose more “respectable” names or name meanings as they believe that the name meaning reflects the personality of the child.
Robert Name Meaning
The meaning of Robert is “Bright fame”. Keep in mind that many names may have different meanings in other countries and languages, so be careful that the name that you choose doesn’t mean something bad or unpleasant. Search comprehensively and find the name meaning of Robert and its name origin or of any other name in our database. Also note the spelling and the pronunciation of the name Robert and check the initials of the name with your last name to discover how it looks and sounds. The history and meaning of the name Robert is fascinating, learn more about it. (If you know more meanings of the name and you would like to contribute click here to submit another name meaning).
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Name Robert Categories
The name Robert is in the following categories: American Names, Australian Names, British Names, Canadian Names, Classic Names, English Names, French Names, Germanic Names, Movie Star Names, Norman Names, Russian Names, Scottish Names, Teutonic Names. (If you would like to suggest one or more categories for the name, click here). We have plenty of different baby name categories to search for special meanings plus popular and unique names, search our database before choosing but also note that baby name categories designed to help you and not to be an influential factor when choosing a name. Instead, we recommend that you pay a greater attention to the origin and meaning of the name Robert. Read our baby name articles for useful tips regarding baby names and naming your baby. If you are thinking of giving your baby the beautiful name Robert, spread the love and share this with your friends.
Popularity of the Name Robert
Below you will find the popularity of the baby name Robert displayed annually, from 1880 to the present day in our name popularity chart. Hover over or click on the dots that represent a year to see how many babies were given the name for that year, for both genders, if available.
Robert Boy Name Popularity Chart
Robert Girl Name Popularity Chart
Note:The data above is from the Social Security Administrator of United States, (more info here) from Social Security card applications for births in US for every name, from 1880 up to the present year. The gender associated with the name might be incorrect, as the data presents the record applications without being edited for errors. The name's popularity and ranking is announced annually, so the data for this year will not be available until next year. The more babies that are given a name, the higher popularity ranking the name receives. For names with the same popularity, the tie is solved by assigning popularity rank in alphabetical order. This means that if two or more names have the same popularity their rankings may differ significantly, as they are set in alphabetical order. If a name has less than five occurrences, the SSA excludes it from the provided data to protect privacy.
If you’re not sure yet, see our wide selection of both boy names and girl names all over the world to find the ideal name for your new born baby. We offer a comprehensive and meaningful list of popular names and cool names along with the name's origin, meaning, pronunciation, popularity and additional information.
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Do your research and choose a name wisely, kindly and selflessly.
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