Meaning: Its source is Hreodbeorht, an Ancient Germanic name meaning "Shining with fame."

Languages: This boy's name is used in German, Dutch, English, French, Russian, Polish, Czech, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and Romanian.

Nicknames: Ber, Bert, Bertie, Bob, Bobbi, Bobbie, Bobby, Rob, Robb, Robbie, Robby, Robin, Robyn and Rab

Variant Forms: Robertson, Robson and Robt

Feminine Forms: Roberta

Non-English Forms: Robbert, Roberto, Rupprecht, Robrecht and Ruprecht

Source Forms: Hreodbeorht

Popularity: The name Robert ranked 32nd in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics, 3rd in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census and 21st in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1994 US Census.

This name is highly rated both on the 1990 U.S. Census list and in state data recording the most popular baby names.

Narrative: When the Norman French stormed the shores of England in 1066, many Roberts were numbered among them. The defending Anglo-Saxon army no doubt contained some who were known by that French name's Germanic source, Hreodboerht. The Normans were victors on the field, and the Germanic name likewise gave way to the French.

In fact, Robert became such a popular name that many nicknames evolved to help distinguish all those Roberts. Two of these survive only in modern surnames: Hob gave us Hobson, Hopkins and Hobbs, while Dob was the source of Dobson. Nob was another nickname for Robert, now completely out of use.