# Robert (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/robert/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A French surname originating as a patronymic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 12,181 |
| US rank (2010) | 2,944 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 25,346 people |
| Change since 2000 | +0.4% (12,129 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɹɑ.bɚt/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

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.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Robert in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 71% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 16% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 6.3% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 4.0% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 2.1% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Robert in Belgium, Mexico and Austria.

## People named Robert

- Étienne-Gaspard Robert, Belgian stage magician and influential developer of phantasmagoria (1763-1837)
- Raúl Fernández Robert, basketball (1905–1982)
- Fréderique Robert, Belgian bicycle rider
- Richard Robert, Austrian pianist, composer, music critic, and music administrator (1861-1924)

## Similar surnames

Roberto, Rebert, Roberts, Robertson, Robards, Rafferty, Rupert, Rivard, Ruppert, Rayford, Raiford, Reppert.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.