Given name & surname · also German, English
Robert
“one who is bright with fame”
Robert is used as a given name, a surname, and a nickname. One German interpretation is “one who is bright with fame.”
Original GermanRupert
Meaning & origin
What it means
One German interpretation is “one who is bright with fame.”
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Germanic and English naming traditions.
How it developed
In German usage, Robert developed from ROBERTUS.
The story
The name’s historical associations include three kings of Scotland, notably Robert the Bruce.
Robert through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,869,849
- 4,849,730 boys · 20,119 girls
- Most popular year
- 1947
- 91,892 babies
- 2025
- 3,777
- #92 for boys · #16,772 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −23%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 3,772 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 92 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 23.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 91,655 in 1947. It also appeared in 5 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (365). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,759,339 as a first name in 2020; 12,105 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Robert’s family of names
In French usage, Robert has a diminutive in Robin. Robert shares a linguistic root with Roberto. In German usage, Robert has a related form in Rupert.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Robert has relatives in 53 languages. Lines run from its Proto-Germanic roots to each of them.
109 related names in 53 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 49
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Rupertvariant · German, English
- Ruprechtvariant · German
- Robindiminutive · French, English
- Rockydiminutive · English
- Robertovariant · Albanian, Portuguese
- Bobbydiminutive · English, French
- Robbiediminutive · English, German
- Bobbiediminutive · English
Show 41 moreShow fewer
- Robbydiminutive · English, German
- Bobdiminutive · English, Czech
- Robdiminutive · English, German
- Bertdiminutive · English
- Hobbesdiminutive · English
- Roberttlikely variant
- Roberrtlikely variant
- Robartvariant · English
- Rebertvariant · English
- Rubertvariant · English
- Robbertvariant · Dutch
- Dobiediminutive · English
- Robishort form · Estonian, Polish
- Robertsonvariant · English
- Dobnickname
- Jawonickname
- Rrobertlikely variant
- Betongdiminutive · Tagalog
- Robertekdiminutive · Czech
- R-Pattzshort form · English
- Roblettshort form · English
- Nobesdiminutive · English
- Bertingdiminutive · Tagalog, ceb
- Binettepet form · English
- Bertíkdiminutive · Czech
- Roblinshort form · English
- Hobbinsdiminutive · English
- Dobbinshort form · English
- Hobbdiminutive · Middle English, English
- Hobdiminutive · English
- Robbodiminutive · English
- Rabbieshort form · English
- Robartachvariant
- Robersvariant
- Robanvariant
- Riobardvariant · Irish
- Hopkinshort form
- Robercikdiminutive · Polish
- Bébertdiminutive · French
- Robínekdiminutive · Czech
- Rabshort form
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 75
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Rupprechtcognate · German
- RodebertGerman
- Robertafeminine form
- Roberthequivalent
- Hobbspatronymic from · English
- Robypatronymic from · English
- Robbpatronymic from · English
- Lopakaborrowing · Hawaiian
Show 52 moreShow fewer
- Rabertequivalent
- Roberson“son of” surname · English
- Hopsonpatronymic from · English
- Hobsonpatronymic from · English
- Dobbiepatronymic from · English
- Robeypatronymic from · English
- Robertefeminine form · French
- RobertsLatvian
- Hróbjartrequivalent
- 羅伯特Chinese
- Hroþberhtcognate · Old English
- Ρόμπερτborrowing · Greek
- Dabinettpatronymic from · English
- Hobbispatronymic from · English
- Nobbpatronymic from · English
- Ռոբերտderivative · Armenian
- Hróbjarturcognate · Icelandic
- ΡοβέρτοςGreek
- RobrechtDutch
- Robietcognate · Walloon
- Roibeárdderivative · Irish
- Rapsonpatronymic from · English
- Rabsonpatronymic from · English
- Dopsonpatronymic from · English
- Dobsonpatronymic from · English
- Dabsonpatronymic from · English
- Robbspatronymic from · English
- Nobbspatronymic from · English
- Dobbspatronymic from · English
- Dabbspatronymic from · English
- Dobbpatronymic from · English
- Dabbpatronymic from · English
- Rabbpatronymic from · English
- Rommertequivalent
- Röpkeequivalent
- RóbertHungarian, Icelandic
- Ро́бертUkrainian, Russian
- ΡομπέρGreek
- Robertusroot · Latin
- RupertusLatin
- RobertasLithuanian
- Robèrtjer, Occitan
- RoopeFinnish
- RoperzhBreton
- Hrodperhtcognate · Old High German
- RobatWelsh
- RubertuSicilian, Corsican
- Raibeartcognate · Scottish Gaelic
- رابرتPersian
- HrēodbēorhtOld English
- रॉबर्टMarathi
- RōpataMāori
And 15 more.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Robert
- Bob DylanAmerican singer-songwriter (born 1941)
- Pope Leo XIV267th Pope of the Catholic Church (2025–)born 1955
- Bob MarleyJamaican reggae musician (1945–1981)
- Robert Louis StevensonScottish novelist and poet (1850–1894)
- Robert Mugabe2nd President of Zimbabwe from 1987 to 20171924–2019
- Robert De NiroAmerican actor (born 1943)
- Robert SchumannGerman composer, pianist and critic (1810–1856)
- Robert FrostAmerican poet (1874–1963)
- Robert KochGerman physician, bacteriologist (1843–1910)
Characters named Robert: Robert Langdon (series of books by Dan Brown), Rocky Balboa (the Rocky film series), Sideshow Bob (The Simpsons franchise), Robert Chase (House).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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