Albert: Baby Name of the Day

The baby name Albert brings to mind a world-famous royal, a popular song, and a genius.

Thanks to Val for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME ALBERT MEAN?

Albert comes from the Germanic Adalbert, adal and beraht, meaning noble and bright. When it came to England, it met up with the similar sounding Aethelbert, which has Anglo-Saxon roots and the same meaning.

Three saints answered to the name before the year 1000. Albertus Magnus – Saint Albert the Great – was a thirteenth century German philosopher and theologian, considered a Doctor of the Catholic Church.

Then came a string of Austrian Dukes and lots of German royals. Add in a Swedish monarch, a handful of distinguished bishops, margraves, princes, and such, plus historian Albert of Aachen, who chronicled the First Crusade, and it’s a name rich with achievement.

The old German name Adalbert and other variatons like Albrecht are mostly out of use now, but might pop up in history books.

THE PRINCE CONSORT

Speaking of history, all these years later, there’s one very famous royal Albert.

European royalty used the name for generations, but it’s rare in English circles until the future Queen Victoria married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

It’s a fascinating tale – an 18 year old queen, cousins who ended up a love match, an unpopular foreign prince who won the respect of his adopted country, a long mourning following his death.

The marriage of Queen Victoria to the prince would produce nine children, over 40 grandchildren, and nearly 90 great-grandchildren. Their descendants married into many noble families across Europe.

The name Albert appears as a given name or in the middle spot for plenty of their descendants. Their eldest son, Albert Edward, reigned as King Edward VII of Great Britain. (Technically, his title was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, as well as Emperor of India.)

• Edward VII’s firstborn son was Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale. He died before his father, so his younger brother became George V.
• George V’s older son, born Prince Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David (really!) briefly reigned as Edward VIII before abdicating to marry his wife, American divorcee Wallis Simpson. They became the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
• Edward VIII’s brief reign was followed by his younger brother, Prince Albert Frederick Arthur George. He became George VI.
• George VI’s daughter was the late Queen Elizabeth II. She’s the first monarch since Victoria to not have Albert in her name somewhere.
• King Charles III isn’t an Albert. (He was born Charles Philip Arthur George.) But his younger son was named Henry Charles Albert David, though we typically call him Prince Harry.

All of this makes the name Albert feel very British and quite distinguished, indeed.

TRADITIONAL FAVORITE

But one hundred years ago, Albert wasn’t reserved for royals.

It was a standard go-to for boys born in the US. Albert ranked in the Top 20 into the 1920s, and remained in the Top 100 right through 1961. 

That means your average bearer of the name is likely to be all grown-up right about now.

In fact, Uncle Albert sounds exactly right. It’s the fun-loving uncle in Mary Poppins, who hosted a mid-air tea party fueled by laughter. And Paul McCartney scored a #1 hit with a song by the name in 1971 – and yes, Paul had a real-life uncle by the name.

FAMOUS PEOPLE WITH THE NAME ALBERT

More royals have worn the name during the twentieth century and into the present, including a King of the Belgians during World War I, and the current reigning prince of Monaco, Albert II.

Besides the many descendants of Queen Victoria, there’s:

• Albert Einstein, who escaped Nazi Germany and discovered the theory of relativity.
• French author and philosopher Camus won the 1957 Nobel Prize for Literature.
• Legendary blues musicians Collins and King.
• Oscar-nominated actor Albert Brooks is known for voicing a main character in both Finding Nemo and Finding Dory – Nemo’s dad, Marlon.  
• Plenty of athletes, like St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Pujols.
• Politicians, like former vice president Al Gore – it’s his given name, plus his dad’s name and his son’s name.

It’s a frequent place name, and has some fun uses, too. The University of Florida’s alligator mascots answer to Albert and Alberta, a short-lived British automobile company, and a brand of tobacco that inspired the joke about letting Prince Albert out of the can.

Children of the 1970s remember the animated Fat Albert and the adopted son of the Ingalls family on Little House on the Prairie. (The character didn’t appear in the original books; he was invented for the series.)

During the mid-1990s, Candian-British-French animated series Albert the Fifth Musketeer expanded Alexandre Dumas’ famous seventeenth century adventure to add yet one more hero.

Albert Schweitzer was a Lutheran minister and philosopher, among other pursuits and accomplishments. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952. His name might sound familiar, though, because the very real Dr. Schweitzer has been borrowed by Disney for their Jungle Cruise attraction and related parts of their theme parks.

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME ALBERT?

British parents do like a good nickname name, with Teddy, Tommy, and Freddie all on the rise, as well as Alfie, Archie, and Albie in the Top 50.

Albert also ranks in England’s current Top 100 and is on the rise. Only nickname Bertie is out of favor among English baby names at the moment.

In the US, this name is far more obscure. As of 2023, it comes in at #590. While Albert has never left the US Top 1000, this name’s popularity has declined sharply over the last century. 

ROYAL and READY FOR REVIVAL

Of course, that doesn’t mean that the baby name Albert is headed for obscurity.

On the contrary, Albert could follow traditional choices like Theodore and Oliver back into use. 

Queen Victoria’s consort makes it regal, but also puts the name all over the map. There’s London’s V&A museum, as well as the Royal Albert Hall, to name just two. There’s a Lake Albert in Uganda, and Albert Bridge in Glasgow. Other places are named for other Alberts, too. 

It’s just not a choice we’re going to forget. 

With a strong meaning, long history of use, sweet nicknames, and plenty of distinguished bears, Albert is a traditional, royal name ready for revival – soon.

What do you think of the baby name Albert?

Originally published on February 17, 2011 at the suggestion of Jenna, this post was substantially revised and re-posted on Thursday, April 26, 2018 and again on November 19, 2024.