The name Robert is an ancient
Germanic given name, from
Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare
Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and
Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''
Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honour, praise, renown" and ''
berht'' "bright, light, shining"). It is the second most frequently used given name of ancient Germanic origin. It is also in use
as a surname. Another commonly used form of the name is
Rupert
Rupert may refer to:
People
* Rupert (name), various people known by the given name or surname "Rupert"
Places Canada
*Rupert, Quebec, a village
*Rupert Bay, a large bay located on the south-east shore of James Bay
*Rupert River, Quebec
*Rupert' ...
.
After becoming widely used in Continental Europe it entered England in its Old French form ''Robert'', where an
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
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
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
,
Scots
Scots usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
* Scots language, a language of the West Germanic language family native to Scotland
* Sc