Germanic given names are traditionally dithematic ; that is, they are formed from two elements, by joining a prefix and a suffix . For example, King Æþelred 's name was derived from æþele , meaning "noble", and ræd , meaning "counsel".
12-426: The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name , from Proto-Germanic *Hrōþi- "fame" and *berhta- "bright" ( Hrōþiberhtaz ). 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. It
24-535: A remnant of their second element, but reduced so that it cannot be identified unambiguously any longer; Curt/Kurt may abbreviate either Conrad or Cunibert. Harry may abbreviate either Harold or Henry. Other monothematic names may have originated as bynames rather than hypocorisms of old dithematic names; examples may include Old English Æsc "ash tree", Carl "free man" ( Charles ), Hengest "stallion", Raban "raven" ( Rabanus Maurus ), Hagano/ Hagen "enclosure", Earnest "vigorous, resolute". Germanic names often feature
36-484: A single element. These are sometimes explained as hypocorisms , short forms of originally dithematic names, but in many cases the etymology of the supposed original name cannot be recovered. The oldest known Germanic names date to the Roman Empire period, such as those of Arminius and his wife Thusnelda in the 1st century CE, and in greater frequency, especially Gothic names , in the late Roman Empire, in
48-552: 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 Ro me- Ber lin- To kyo Axis . The name's second component, *berhta- , is the original root for the modern English word "bright". Germanic given name However, there are also names dating from an early time which seem to be monothematic, consisting only of
60-1582: 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. Bert , Bertie, Berto, Bertus (also short for Albert or Herbert ) Beto , Betinho (Portuguese) Bo , Bob , Bobbie, Bobby Beau Chrodobert, Chrodobrecht ( Frankish ) Dobbie, Dobby Boris ( Bulgarian ) (possibly not etymologically connected, but linked together through nickname "Bob") Hob , Hopkin ( Medieval English ) Hopcyn ( Welsh ) Hrodberaht, Hrodebert, Hrodpreht ( Old High German ) Rab, Rabbie ( Scots ) Raibeart ( Scottish Gaelic ) Rhobert ( Welsh ) Roibeárd , Riobárd (Irish) Rob , Robb , Robbie , Robby (also short for Robin ) Rod Robbe ( Dutch , Frisian and Low German short form) Roban Robban ( Swedish ) Robbert ( Dutch ) Robbi , Hrobbi , Hrobjartur , Bjartur , Art ( Icelandic ) Robertus , Robert ( Indonesian ) Robercik or Robuś ( Polish , "Little Robert") Robere ( Old French ) Ροβῆρος, Rovēros (Greek) Róbert ( Hungarian , Icelandic , Slovak ) Robertas (Lithuanian) Roberto (Italian, Portuguese, Spanish) Robertino (Italian, "Little Robert") Robertinho (Portuguese, "Little Robert") Роберт (Robert), Роман ( Roman ) (Russian) Ροβέρτος, Rovértos (Greek) Raivo ( Estonian ) Roberts ( Latvian ) Raivis ( Latvian form of
72-562: 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
84-556: Is not always clear. Of the large number of medieval Germanic names, a comparatively small set remains in common use today. For almost a thousand years, the most frequent name of Germanic origin in the English-speaking world has traditionally been William (from the Old High German Willahelm ), followed by Robert , Richard and Henry . Many native English (Anglo-Saxon) names fell into disuse in
96-1501: The Estonian variant) Robertson (English given name) Robertus ( Latin ) Robetus (Medieval misspelling?) Robi ( Croatian , Hungarian , Romanian , Serbian ) Röbi ( Swiss German ) Robin (Medieval diminutive in English, Dutch, Swedish) Robo Robrecht ( Old Dutch ) Rochbert Rodbeard, Rodbeart Rodbert, Rodebert, Rotbert, Roteberht, Rotebert ( Germanic ) Rodbertus, Rodepertus ( Latin ) Rodebrecht (Old German) Röpke ( Low German diminutive form) Rotbryht (Old English) Rothbert Roopertti, Pertti, Roope (Finnish) Robertukka , Roopertukka , Tuukka (Finnish nicknames) Ropars , Ropartz , Roparzh ( Breton ) Ruben, Rupen, Roupen ( Armenian ) Reuben ( Hebrew ) Rutbert, Rubert, Ruby ( Old Dutch ) Rudebet, Rudbert, Rudbert, Rudpert, Rudbrecht, Rudprecht Rupert (Dutch, English, German, Polish) Ruperto (Spanish) Rupertus, Rvpertvs (Latin) Rutpert, Ruppert, Rupprecht, Ruprecht (Upper German) Trebor (reversal) Feminine forms : Bobbi, Bobbie Robbi, Robbie Roberta Robertina, Robertine Robina Robyn, Robynne Ruprette, Rupretta (archaic French) Surnames : Robert , Roberts , Robertson , Roberson , Robinson , Robero , Romero , Bertson , Bertke , Robertsen , Robertov , Robright The name Robert
108-599: The 4th to 5th centuries (the Germanic Heroic Age ). A great variety of names are attested from the medieval period , falling into the rough categories of Scandinavian ( Old Norse ), Anglo-Saxon ( Old English ), continental ( Frankish , Old High German and Low German ), and East Germanic (see Gothic names ) forms. By the High Middle Ages , many of these names had undergone numerous sound changes and/or were abbreviated, so that their derivation
120-501: The United States for 47 years, from 1925 to 1972. 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. There are 3,085,000 males and 13,571 females with this name, for
132-1007: The later Middle Ages, but experienced a revival in the Victorian era ; some of these are Edward , Edwin , Edmund , Edgar , Alfred , Oswald and Harold for males; the female names Mildred and Gertrude also continue to be used in present day, Audrey continues the Anglo-Norman (French) form of the Anglo-Saxon Æðelþryð , while the name Godiva is a Latin form of Godgifu . Some names, like Howard and Ronald , are thought to originate from multiple Germanic languages, including Anglo-Saxon. OH þrúðr, OE þrȳð, drut, trud, thrud, thryth Some medieval Germanic names are attested in simplex form; these names may have originated as hypocorisms of full dithematic names, but in some cases they entered common usage and were no longer perceived as such. Some hypocorisms retain
SECTION 10
#1732764925760144-466: 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
#759240