 King Robert I of Scotland, national hero of Scotland | |
| Pronunciation | English: /ˈrɒbərt/ French: [ʁɔbɛʁ] German: [ˈʁoːbɛʁt] Czech: [ˈrobɛrt] Slovak: [ˈrɔ(ː)bert] Serbo-Croatian: [rǒbert] Armenian: [rɔbɛɾt] |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | Indo-European Germanic |
| Meaning | "fame-bright", "glory-bright", "shining with glory", "godlike-bright" |
| Region of origin | Germanic countries (England, Scotland, Germany, Netherlands, France, Iceland, Scandinavian region (Denmark, Sweden, Norway)) |
| Other names | |
| Derived | Hrōþiberhtaz |
| Related names | Variants Rupert, Ruprecht Boris Robrecht Rodbert Raivis Raivo Roberts Robin Robinette Roberta (female form) Nicknames Rob (short form), Robb (short form), Roby (nickname), Robbie (nickname), Robby (nickname), Ro (nickname), Roe (nickname), Bob (nickname), Bobby (nickname) |
| See also | Roger, Roland, Rudolph, Roderick, Roman, Rose, Herbert, Waldemar, Vladimir |
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic *Hrōþi- "fame" and *berhta- "bright" (Hrōþiberhtaz).[1] Compare Old Dutch Robrecht and Old High German Hrodebert (a compound of Hruod (Old Norse: Hróðr) "fame, glory, honour, praise, renown, godlike" and berht "bright, light, shining"). It is the second most frequently used given name of ancient Germanic origin.[2][3] It is also in use as a surname. Another commonly used form of the name is Rupert.
After becoming widely used in Continental Europe, the name entered England in its Old French form Robert, where an Old English cognate form (Hrēodbēorht, Hrodberht, Hrēodbēorð, Hrœdbœrð, Hrœdberð, Hrōðberχtŕ) had existed before the Norman Conquest. The feminine version is Roberta. The Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish form is Roberto.
Robert is also a common name in many Germanic languages, including English, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Scots, Danish, and Icelandic. It can be used as a French, Polish, Irish, Finnish, Romanian, and Estonian name as well.
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Bert, Bertie, Berto, Bertus (also short for Albert or Herbert)
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Robin (Medieval diminutive in English, Dutch, Swedish)
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The name Robert was a royal name in France, Germany, Scotland and England during the medieval period, and was the name of several kings, dukes, and other rulers and noblemen. It was one of the most popular male names in medieval Europe, likely due to its frequent usage amongst royalty and nobility. To this day, Robert remains one of the most frequently given male names.
Robert was in the top 10 most given boys' names in the United States for 47 years, from 1925 to 1972.[4] While some names become less frequently used due to negative associations, Robert is still widely used despite its connection to many negatively evaluated historical figures.
It is the fourth most common name in the United States, according to 100 years of Social Security Administration naming and mortality data.[5] There are 3,085,000 males and 13,571 females[6] with this name, for a total of 3,098,571 people with this name.
In Italy during the Second World War, the form Roberto briefly acquired a new meaning derived from, and referring to the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis.[7]
The name's second component, *berhta-, is the original root for the modern English word "bright".[8]
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See also: Saint Robert (disambiguation) |
