Robert is a name of Germanic origin, derived from the Germanic words "hrod" meaning fame and "bert" meaning bright or famous. It has been used extensively throughout history and across different cultures.
The name Robert first appeared in France during the Middle Ages, brought over by Viking settlers who had adopted it from their German ancestors. It quickly became popular among the nobility due to its strong association with power and success.
In England, the name Robert was introduced by the Normans after they conquered the country in 1066. It soon became a common name for boys born into wealthy families, as evidenced by several Robberts listed in the Domesday Book of 1086.
Throughout history, many notable figures have carried the name Robert. Some examples include King Robert I of Scotland, also known as Robert the Bruce; Robert Peel, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice during the early 19th century; and Robert Frost, an American poet who won four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry.
Today, Robert remains a popular choice for boys' names around the world. According to data from the Social Security Administration in the United States, it was the 287th most popular boy's name in 2019.
Here are some interesting statistics about the name Robert in the United States:
From 1880 to around the early 2000s, the number of babies named Robert consistently fluctuated between roughly 2,000 and 35,000 births per year. However, there was a significant peak during World War I, with over 21,000 babies named Robert in 1914 alone.
Between 1900 and 1976, the popularity of the name Robert remained quite steady, hovering around an average of about 30,000 births per year. It was during this period that Robert was one of the top ten most popular boy names in the United States.
However, starting from the late 1970s, the popularity of the name Robert began to decline steadily. By the early 2000s, the number of babies named Robert had dropped significantly, with fewer than 5,000 births per year.
Despite this decline in recent decades, the name Robert remains a classic and timeless choice for parents. As of 2021, over 4 million people in the United States are named Robert, making it one of the most common names in the country.