Bert is a

hypocoristic A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek: (), from (), 'to call by pet names', sometimes also ''hypocoristic'') or pet name is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as '' Izzy'' for ...

form of a number of various Germanic male given names, such as Robert,

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Alber ...

, Elbert,

Herbert Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert ...

Hilbert David Hilbert (; ; 23 January 1862 – 14 February 1943) was a German mathematician, one of the most influential mathematicians of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Hilbert discovered and developed a broad range of fundamental ideas in many ...

Hubert Hubert is a Germanic masculine given name, from ''hug'' "mind" and '' beraht'' "bright". It also occurs as a surname. Saint Hubertus or Hubert (c. 656 – 30 May 727) is the patron saint of hunters, mathematicians, opticians, and metalworkers ...

, Gilbert, Wilbert, Filbert, Norbert,

Osbert Osbert is a male given name and a surname. It may refer to: Osbert , a novel by R.A. Currier Given name *Osbert or Osberht of Northumbria (died 867), King of Northumbria *Osbert or Osbeorn Bulax (died c. 1054), son of Siward, Earl of Northumbr ...

, Bertram, Berthold, Bertrand, Umberto, Humbert,

Cuthbert Cuthbert of Lindisfarne ( – 20 March 687) was an Anglo-Saxon saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of Nort ...

, Delbert,

Dilbert ''Dilbert'' is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Scott Adams, first published on April 16, 1989. It is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office with engineer Dilbert as the title charact ...

, Dagobert,

Rimbert Saint Rimbert (or Rembert) (''c.'' 830 - 11 June 888 in Bremen) was archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen, in the northern part of the Kingdom of East Frankia from 865 until his death in 888. He most famously wrote the hagiography about the life Ansgar, t ...

Egbert Egbert is a name that derives from old Germanic words meaning "bright edge", such as that of a blade. Anglo-Saxon variant spellings include Ecgberht () and Ecgbert. German variant spellings include Ekbert and Ecbert. People with the first name Mid ...

, Siegbert,

Gualbert Giovanni Gualberto (c. 985 – 12 July 1073) was an Italian Roman Catholic abbot and the founder of the Vallumbrosan Order. Born into a noble family, Gualberto was a predictably vain individual who sought pleasure in vanities and romantic intri ...

, Gerbert, Lambert, Engelbert, Friedbert, Gombert, Calbert, Leebert and Colbert. There is a large number of Germanic names ending in ''-bert'', second in number only to those ending in ''-wolf'' (''-olf'', ''-ulf''). Most of these names are early medieval and only a comparatively small fraction remains in modern use. The element ''-berht'' has the meaning of " bright", Old English ''beorht/berht'', Old High German ''beraht/bereht'', ultimately from a

Common Germanic Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. Proto-Germanic eventually developed from pre-Proto-Germanic into three Germanic br ...

*''berhtaz'', from a PIE root *''bhereg-'' "white, bright". The female hypocoristic of names containing the same element is Berta. Modern English bright itself has the same etymology, but it has suffered metathesis at an early date, already in the Old English period, attested as early as AD 700 in the Lindisfarne Gospels. The unmetastasized form disappears after AD 1000 and

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English ...

from about 1200 has ''briht'' universally.

Names containing ''berht''

There is no evidence of the ''berht'' element in Germanic personal names prior to the 6th century. It is mostly unknown in names of

Goths The Goths ( got, 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰, translit=''Gutþiuda''; la, Gothi, grc-gre, Γότθοι, Gótthoi) were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe ...

, Vandals, Frisians or Norse, and only rarely occurs in names of

Saxons The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

. By contrast, it is very common among

Anglo-Saxons The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

Lombards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the '' History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...

and Bavarians. The popularity of the element in certain areas may be related to religion, similar to the ''wolf'' element being due to the worship of

Wodanaz Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, victor ...

, the names with ''berht'' can be considered theophoric, in connection with the goddess Perchta. The full form of Old High German ''beraht'' is reduced in two ways, by omission of either the second (''berht, perht, pert'') or the first vowel (''braht, praht, brat, prat, brecht''). Early attestations of such names include ''Ethberictus'', ''Garberictus'', and ''Transberictus'' mentioned in Hontheim's ''Historia Trevirensis'' s. a. 699. Pardessus' ''Diplomata'' s. a. 745 has ''Berdbert'' as a rare example of a reduplicated Germanic name. Förstemann counts 369 names with final ''-bert(a)'', of which 61 are feminine.E. Förstemann, ''Altdeutsches Namenbuch'' (1856), p. 235–254. Given names that remain in modern use include: # names with ''-bert'' as final element #*

/ Æthelberht,

, Dagobert, Elbert,

, Engelbert, Filbert, Gerbert, Gilbert, Harbert,

, Humbert, Ingbert, Isambard (Isembert), Norbert, Robert, Tolbert, Wilbert # names with ''Bert-'' as first element #* Bertram, Berthold, Bertrand

Names abbreviated "Bert"

The following names are commonly abbreviated as "Bert": *

/Adalbert (Æthelbert) * Berthold/Bertold * Bertrand/ Bertram * Colbert * Gilbert * Heribert/

* Lambert * Norbert * Robert * Cumbert

People called Bert

* Bert Abbey (1869–1962), American baseball player *

Bert Acosta Bertrand Blanchard Acosta (January 1, 1895 – September 1, 1954) was a record-setting aviator and test pilot. He and Clarence D. Chamberlin set an endurance record of 51 hours, 11 minutes, and 25 seconds in the air. He later flew in the Span ...

(1895–1954), American aviator *

Bert Adams John Bertram Adams (June 21, 1891 – June 24, 1940) was a professional baseball player in the early 20th century. Primarily a catcher, Adams played from to , with the Cleveland Naps and Philadelphia Phillies. Adams died in 1940 at age 49 and ...

(1891–1940), American baseball player * Bert Adams (politician) (1916–2003), American politician * Bert Addinall (1921–2005), English professional footballer * Bert Anciaux (born 1959), Belgian politician and founder and former member of Spirit (later known as the Social Liberal Party, or SLP) * Bert Assirati (1908–1990), English professional wrestler * Bert Bell (1895–1959), National Football League commissioner *

Bert Berns Bertrand Russell Berns (November 8, 1929 – December 30, 1967), also known as Bert Russell and (occasionally) Russell Byrd, was an American songwriter and record producer of the 1960s. His songwriting credits include " Twist and Shout", " Piec ...

(1929–1967), American songwriter and record producer in the 1960s *

Bert Blyleven Bert Blyleven (born Rik Aalbert Blijleven, April 6, 1951) is a Dutch-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1970 to 1992, primarily with the Minnesota Twins. Blyleven recorded 3,701 ...

(Aalbert) (born 1951), Dutch-born American baseball player * Bert Bos (Gijsbert) (born 1963), Dutch computer scientist working for W3C *

Bert Brown Bert Brown (March 22, 1938 – February 3, 2018) was a Canadian senator and retired farmer and development consultant who resided in Balzac, Alberta. Early life Brown farmed in Kathyrn, Alberta, from 1969 to 1999, after which they sold their fa ...

, (1938–2018), Canadian politician *

Bert Convy Bernard Whalen "Bert" Convy (July 23, 1933 – July 15, 1991) was an American actor, singer, game show host and panelist known for hosting '' Tattletales'', ''Super Password'' and ''Win, Lose or Draw''. Early life Convy was born in St. Loui ...

(Bernard) (1933–1991), American singer, actor and game show host *

Bert Cunningham Ellsworth Elmer "Bert" Cunningham (November 25, 1865 – May 14, 1952), was a Major League Baseball pitcher from 1887 to 1901. He played for the Brooklyn Grays, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Athletics, Buffalo Bisons, Louisville Colonels, an ...

(1865–1952), American baseball player * Bert Haanstra (Albert) (1916–1997), Dutch film director * Bert Kaempfert (Bertolt) (1923–1980), German orchestra leader *

Bert Koenders Albert Gerard "Bert" Koenders (; born 28 May 1958) is a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (Netherlands), Labour Party (PvdA) who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2014 to 2017. He is curr ...

(Albert) (born 1958), Dutch politician *

Bert Kreischer Bert Kreischer (born November 3, 1972), nicknamed "The Machine", is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster, reality television host and actor. In 1997, he was featured in an article in ''Rolling Stone'' while attending Florida State University ...

, (born 1972), American comedian * Bert Laeyendecker (1930–2020), Dutch sociologist *

Bert Lahr Irving Lahrheim (August 13, 1895 – December 4, 1967), known professionally as Bert Lahr, was an American actor. He was best known for his role as the Cowardly Lion, as well as his counterpart Kansas farmworker "Zeke", in the MGM adaptation of ...

(1895–1967), American actor and comedian * Bert McCracken (Robert) (born 1982), American lead singer of alternative band ''The Used'' * Bert van Marwijk (Lambertus) (born 1952), Dutch football player and coach *

Bert Newton Albert Watson Newton (23 July 1938 – 30 October 2021) was an Australian media personality. He was a Logie Hall of Fame inductee, quadruple Gold Logie award-winning entertainer and radio, theatre and television personality and presenter. Newt ...

(Albert) (born 1938, died 2021), Australian entertainer and media personality * Bert Nievera (1936–2018), Filipino-American singer *

Bert Parks Bert Parks (born Bertram Jacobson; December 30, 1914 – February 2, 1992) was an American actor, singer, and radio and television announcer, best known for hosting the annual Miss America telecast from 1955 to 1979. Early life Parks was bor ...

(1914–1992), American actor, singer, host of Miss America from 1955 to 1979 * Bert Peters (composer) (18??–19??), American composer * Bert Peters (1908–1944), Australian rules footballer * Bert Sakmann (Bertold) (born 1942), German cell biologist, winner of the 1991 Nobel Prize for Medicine *

Bert Schneider Berton "Bert" Jerome Schneider (May 5, 1933December 12, 2011) was an American film and television producer. He was responsible for several topical films of the late 1960s and early 1970s, including the road film ''Easy Rider'' (1969), directed ...

(1897–1986), Canadian Olympic champion welterweight boxer * Bert Stenfeldt (born 1933), Swedish Air Force major general *

Bert Trautmann Bernhard Carl "Bert" Trautmann EK OBE BVO (22 October 1923 – 19 July 2013) was a German professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Manchester City from 1949 to 1964. In August 1933, (aged 9), he joined the Jungvolk, the junior ...

(Bernhard) (1923–2013), German football player * Bert Vaux (born 1968), American linguist * Bert Vogelstein (born 1949), American cancer researcher * Bert Weckhuysen (born 1968), Belgian chemist *

Bert Wheeler Albert Jerome Wheeler (April 7, 1895 – January 18, 1968) was an American comedian who performed in Broadway theatre, American comedy feature films, and vaudeville acts. He was the comedy partner of Robert Woolsey, and together they formed ...

(1895–1968), American comedian *

Bert Williams Bert Williams (November 12, 1874 – March 4, 1922) was a Bahamian-born American entertainer, one of the pre-eminent entertainers of the Vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. He is credited as being ...

(1874–1922), Bahamian-born American entertainer * Bert Wipiti (1922–1943), New Zealand fighter pilot

As a surname

* Joris Bert (born 1987), French baseball player * Liliane Bert (1922–2015), French actress *

Mabel Bert Mabel Bert (née Scott, 1862 – ?) was an Australian-born American actress. Early life Bert was born in Australia in 1862. Her father was A.C. Scott whose family was very wealthy. They immigrated to the United States in 1865, settling in S ...

(née Mabel Scott, 1862–1???), Australian-American actress *

Margaret Bert Margaret Bert (June 4, 1896 – May 1, 1971) was an American character actress who was most active from the 1930s through the 1950s. She was born on June 4, 1896, in Blackburn, Lancashire. She began her film career during silent films, having a ...

(1896–1971), British-American actress * Paul Bert (1833–1886), French physiologist

Fictional characters

*Albert "Bert" Sanders, a character in the 1997 television movie '' On the 2nd Day of Christmas'' played by

Mark Ruffalo Mark Alan Ruffalo (; born November 22, 1967) is an American actor and producer best known for playing Bruce Banner / Hulk since 2012 in the superhero franchise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and in the television series '' She-Hulk: Attorne ...

* Bert (Sesame Street), a Muppet character (of

Bert and Ernie Bert and Ernie are two Muppet characters who appear together in numerous skits on the long-running PBS/HBO children's television show, ''Sesame Street''. Originated by Frank Oz and Jim Henson, the characters are currently performed by puppeteer ...

) on the long-running children's television show ''Sesame Street'' *Bert Barry, a Co-writer and producer of ''Pretty Lady'' on the Broadway musical play '' 42nd Street'' * Bert Ljung, a fictional character in the

Bert diaries The Bert Diaries are a series of novels written in the form of a diary, by Swedish writers Anders Jacobsson and Sören Olsson. The main character is a Swedish teenager called Bert Ljung, living in Öreskoga, a fictional town in Sweden, in the l ...

Bert (Mary Poppins) ''Mary Poppins'' is a series of eight children's books written by Australian-British writer P. L. Travers and published over the period 1934 to 1988. Mary Shepard was the illustrator throughout the series. The books centre on the magical ...

, a

Cockney Cockney is an accent and dialect of English, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by working-class and lower middle-class Londoners. The term "Cockney" has traditionally been used to describe a person from the East End, or ...

chimney sweep A chimney sweep is a person who clears soot and creosote from chimneys. The chimney uses the pressure difference caused by a hot column of gas to create a draught and draw air over the hot coals or wood enabling continued combustion. Chimneys ...

in the book series and Disney film ''Mary Poppins''. Played in the film by Dick Van Dyke * Bert Raccoon, a lead character in TV series ''

The Raccoons ''The Raccoons'' is a Canadian animated television series that ran on CBC from November 11, 1985 to March 19, 1991 in Canada and on Disney Channel from July 4, 1985 to August 28, 1992 in the U.S., with three preceding television specials from ...

References