How to say it
ROB · ert
/ˈrɒb.ɚt/
Masculine
Robert
Bright fame
What it means
Germanic, from hrōd ('fame') + beraht ('bright'). One of the most enduring masculine names in English; the Norman Conquest brought it in 1066 and it never left.
Robert comes from the Germanic hrōd + beraht, 'bright fame.' It arrived in England with William the Conqueror in 1066 (William's father was Robert I of Normandy) and stayed in the top twenty for nearly a thousand years. The wealth of nicknames is part of why it's worn so well: Rob, Bob, Bobby, Bert, Robbie, Robin (which graduated to a standalone name long ago), Rupert (a German cousin). The name has been declining since its 1950s peak but is still in the US top 100. Robert is a name that doesn't lock you into one identity; the family decides between Rob and Bob early.
Popularity over time
peaked at #1 in 1924, currently #92 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Nickname
Picking the short matters: Rob reads warm and current, Bob reads mid-century, Bobby reads childhood-coded, Bert reads dated, Robin reads as a separate name, Rupert reads English-aristocratic. The family settles on one by school age.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Robert Frost American poet, four-time Pulitzer winner
- Robert De Niro Actor, Taxi Driver and The Godfather Part II
- Robert F. Kennedy Attorney General and senator, JFK's brother
Spelling variants
- Rupert
- Roberto
- Robin
Names with the same feeling
See Robert from another angle
By meaning
By style