The name Robert is a Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic *χrōþi- "fame" and *berχta- "bright". Compare Old Dutch Robrecht and Old High German Hrodebert (a compound of hruod "fame, glory" and berht "bright"). It is also in use as a surname.

After becoming widely used in Continental Europe it entered England in its Old French form Robert, where an Old English cognate form (Hrēodbēorht, Hrodberht, Hrēodbēorð, Hrœdbœrð, Hrœdberð) had existed before the Norman Conquest. The feminine version is Roberta. The Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish form is Roberto.

Similar to the name, Richard, "Robert" is also a common name in many Germanic languages, including English, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, and Icelandic. It can be used as a French, Hungarian, Finnish, and Estonian name as well.

Variations

Trivia

Robert, and also the name Joseph, were in the top 10 most given boys' names in the US for 47 years, from 1925 to 1972.

In Italy during the Second World War, the form of the name, Roberto, briefly acquired a new meaning derived from, and referring to the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis.

Robert (died c. 1271) was a 13th-century prelate based in the Kingdom of Scotland. He was successively Archdeacon of Ross and Bishop of Ross; he is the second Robert to have held the bishopric of Ross.

Robert can be found as Archdeacon of Ross as early as 6 July 1223, when his name occurred in a document relating to Durham Cathedral; it is not known how long he had been holding that position in 1223, but he is the first known Archdeacon of the diocese.

He probably became Bishop of Ross sometime in 1149; he was consecrated sometime between 21 June 1249 and 20 June 1150.

Turner interpreted a papal mandate of 1256 as sanctioning the increase in the number of canons in the cathedral chapter and authorising the relocation of the cathedral [from Rosemarkie] to Fortrose. Cowan and Easson thought that the cathedral had always been located at Fortrose, but it was simply called Rosemarkie.

Bishop Robert appears, from the evidence of Walter Bower (using an earlier source), to have died in the year 1171. Walter Bower confuses the man who died that year and the builder of the new cathedral with Robert II's predecessor, Robert I.

Robert was the Archdeacon of Totnes during 1184.

References