The first name Robert
A boy’s name meaning “shining glory”.
Pronounced /ˈɹɑ.bɚt/ 2 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Robert means “shining glory”.
From Anglo-Norman Robert, from the Old Frankish cognate of Old High German Hrodperht (normalised form: Ruodberht), from Proto-West Germanic *Hrōþiberht, from Proto-Germanic *Hrōþiberhtaz (literally “shining glory”). Displaced native Old English Hrōþberht from the same source, which would yield English Rothbert. Doublet of Rupert.
More names that mean famous.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 310 boys were named Robert, making it the 164th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 1996, with 2,644 births (#30).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Robert with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Robert at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 3,772 boys born in the United States were named Robert, the 92nd most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1947, when 91,655 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Robert in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Robert in Catalan, Czech, Danish, Estonian, French, German, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian and Swedish too.
Nicknames and spellings
Famous people named Robert
19 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Robert KocharyanFormer leader of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Armenia, born 1954
- Robert BárányAustri-Hungarian otologist and Nobel Prize laureate, 1876–1936
- Friedrich Robert FaehlmannEstonian writer (1798-1850)
- Róbert FazekasAthletics (sport) competitor (1975–)
- Robert BrovdiCommander of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, born 1975
- Róbert ŠvehlaCzechoslovak ice hockey player, born 1969
- Robert Reinhold von WirénBaltic German admiral (1856–1917)
- Róbert IsaszegiBoxer, born 1965
- Robert DietrichGerman ice hockey player (1986-2011)
- Robert GardosAustrian table tennis player (1979–)
- Róbert GátaiFencer, born 1964
- Robert SturuaGeorgian theatre director, born 1938
Questions
- What does the name Robert mean?
- Robert means “shining glory”.
- How popular is the name Robert?
- In 2025, 310 boys born in England and Wales were named Robert, ranking 164th. Its peak was 1996, with 2,644 births.
- What are nicknames for Robert?
- Common nicknames for Robert include Bobbie, Bob, Bobby, Rabbie, Robbie, Robby.
- Is Robert a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 4,869,849 US babies named Robert since 1880 were boys.
- When was Robert most popular?
- 1947 in the United States, when 91,655 babies were named Robert, its highest rank at 2nd.
- How do you pronounce Robert?
- Robert is /ˈɹɑ.bɚt/, 2 syllables.
- Is Robert also a surname?
- Yes. Robert is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.