 King Robert I of Scotland, national hero of Scotland | |
| Pronunciation | English: /ˈrɒbərt/ French: [ʁɔbɛʁ] German: [ˈʁoːbɛʁt] Czech: [ˈrobɛrt] Slovak: [ˈrɔ(ː)bert] Serbo-Croatian: [rǒbert] Armenian: [rɔbɛɾt] |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | Indo-European Germanic |
| Meaning | "fame-bright", "glory-bright", "shining with glory", "godlike-bright" |
| Region of origin | Germanic countries (England, Scotland, Germany, Netherlands, France, Iceland, Scandinavian region (Denmark, Sweden, Norway)) |
| Other names | |
| Derived | Hrōþiberhtaz |
| Related names | Variants Rupert, Ruprecht Boris Robrecht Rodbert Raivis Raivo Roberts Robin Robinette Roberta (female form) Nicknames Rob (short form), Robb (short form), Roby (nickname), Robbie (nickname), Robby (nickname), Ro (nickname), Roe (nickname), Bob (nickname), Bobby (nickname) |
| See also | Roger, Roland, Rudolph, Roderick, Roman, Rose, Herbert, Waldemar, Vladimir |
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic *Hrōþi- "fame" and *berhta- "bright" (Hrōþiberhtaz).[1] 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.[2][3] It 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 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.
- ^ "Robrecht". Historische woordenboeken: Nederlands en Fries (in Dutch). Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal.
- ^ Reaney & Wilson, 1997. Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press.
- ^ Withycombe, E., 1973 ed. Oxford Dictionary of English Christian names. Oxford University Press.