The baby name Robert held the top spot for years. Even as it has fallen out of favor, it remains polished and traditional, a strong choice for a son.
BRIGHT FAME
It’s easy to see the roots of the baby name Robert in Germanic Hrodebert – bright fame.
There’s a similar name in Old English, so when the Normans brought Robert to England, the two merged.
It’s been in heavy rotation, a favorite for boys in English, from the Middle Ages to the present day.
FAMOUS ROBERTS: BRUCE, BURNS, BROWNING
It feels impossible to list every famous bearer of the name Robert, but a few stand out.
The early saint Robert served as the first bishop of Salzburg, Germany around the year 700. (Though he’s often called Rupert.)
Robert the Bruce restored independence to Scotland during his reign as king in the early 1300s. Then came Rob Roy, an early 1700s Scottish outlaw in the key of Robin Hood, who became a folk hero.
Poets Burns, Browning, and Frost take the name in a literary direction.
BY THE NUMBERS
No surprise, then, that Robert ranked in the US Top Ten in the early twentieth century.
By 1924, it reached the #1 spot, unseating John. It remained there until 1939.
That puts Robert in an elite fraternity. Only eight names have ever ranked #1 for boys in the US: John, James, David, Michael, Jacob, Noah, Liam, and Robert. Until Liam reached the top spot in 2017, Robert was the only non-Biblical boy name to rank #1 in the US.
That means, of course, that the famous Roberts don’t stop with the history books.
There’s also actors Redford, De Niro, and Downey. Athletes and musicians abound.
BOBBY and BOB
It’s easy to miss some uses of the baby name Robert, because we know them almost exclusively by a nickname. Bobby Kennedy comes to mind; so do Bob Ross, Bob Dylan, and Bob Marley.
The baby name Robert also shortens to Robin – as in Hood – as Rob and Robbie. The latter two seem a little more current than Bob today, but they all work.
In less conventional nickname options, Robert also shortens to Bertie and Bert, as well as rising favorite Bo.
FALLING FAST = OPPORTUNITY?
All of this makes for a rock solid traditional name. But after so many years of heavy use, Robert has fallen out of favor. As of 2018, it stands at an all-time low of #71. Names including Owen, Mason, and Wyatt might be relative newcomers, but they’re all more popular than Robert these days.
But here’s the thing: classic names are subject to trends, even if they’re never trendy. The baby name Robert remains a Top 100 pick, meaning it will remain a reliable choice for a boy.
If you’re frustrated that every kid you know is called Henry, James, or William, then Robert might be the logical substitute. Bob sounds like your great-uncle, but Robbie and Rob are far more contemporary.
Would you consider the baby name Robert for a son?
First published on June 24, 2011, this post was revised substantially on July 10, 2020.
Uncles on both sides, a cousin, my ex-FIL, old bosses and old classmates… all named Robert. Unlike Gilbert and Rupert, I know too many Bobs for it too feel fresh and exciting, plus it doesn’t help that I don’t know a single Robert under 35.
However the more I consider Robert, I realize it “ticks” all of the boxes. Classic, easy to spell, familiar/not trendy, with lots of nicknames. (Maybe Hobbes or Hobey instead of Rob/Bobby?) While It’s not a name I’d pick for my own son, it’s a great name and it would be fun to met a little one.
Sorry but I’ve always hated Robert. Its so plain and overused that it’s nowhere near refreshing to use it as a middle name: same goes to John, Michael, William, Jonathan, James, Daniel… They were all used so much and are all still super high in the charts, everyone knows several people with these names. I just find them all really boring and kinda eye-rolling inducing.
Each to their own, but if I was gonna pick and oldfashioned name, I would choose something less common from that time.
Oops I meant first name.
Haha! I think you just named everyone of my dad’s brothers…John, Robert “Bob”, William “Bill”, Michael “Mike” … you just left off Steven “Steve” and Richard! 😀
SkyeRhyly – my thoughts exactly 🙂 I have a good friend named Robert and he goes mostly by Rob to differentiate from his father since he’s a junior.
Rob, Mike, Will, Dan, etc. are names that sound very tired to me despite their full forms being classics. But people think my name is boring too, haha. I’d rather meet a little Robert than a Jayden though!
Some see Robert as “overused” and not “fresh” (therefore,stale), but others see the name as very strong and manly, with a fine history. It’s all in what image parents want for their son, as a little boy, as a man. The search for a “unique”, “new”, “fresh” name has put some questionable monikers on some of today’s kids. Will these new names endure? Time will tell… And if they do, they too will seem stale and overused to the next generation of parents who are obsessed with giving _their_ child a name that they’ve never known anyone having. I love your name, Sarah; just like Robert, Sarah is an enduring classic.
That’s my husband’s middle name, so it’s 100% going to be either a first or middle for a son for us. Oddly enough, Robert is also the name I gave to my first teddy bear (which I still have!) when I was a baby. Obviously, I’ve always liked the name. 🙂
You know, I don’t think I have a single relative named Robert. Oh, I suppose there must be one somewhere on the family tree, but no one that I can recollect. The name’s just OK for me. I’d like other parents to use it because it’s a nice, classic name with a clean, streamlined feel, but I wouldn’t use it myself.
Also, not exactly on topic, but I hate how looking at Robert Pattinson makes me feel old even though I’m only two years older than the actor. Perhaps it’s because I don’t find him particularly attractive? I think a younger version of myself might be swooning at the sight of him, but not this ancient edition!
I don’t know…I’m 24 and have never found him particularly attractive either…to me he is all anime character with the square angular jaw and crazy hair (especially in Twilight). :\
I have an Uncle Bob…it wasn’t until I was a teen that I realized his given name was actually Robert. I think Bob is outdated by association… I’ve known several “Robbie”s who are closer to my age so I guess I see Robert is do-able…but for someone else’s kid. I think Robin as a nn is adorable 🙂 though I *do* like Robin as a stand alone first name as well.
Still off topic, I’m 27 and loved him as Cedric in Harry Potter, but I don’t like this shaggy look a lot of the younger guys have these days. I teach high school and I see a lot of shaggy (dirity) teenage boys, so I could never find it attractive.
Back on topic, my cousin’s a Bobby (really John Robert but he’s the 4th John in a row) and we’re all pretty close so it’d be weird to use it. Also my father-in-law and all of his fishing buddies go by “Bob” even though none of them ARE Bob. They’re numbered too, Bob 1, Bob 2, etc (I think they’re up to 10 or so, my husband is #8). But Robert’s definitely a solid classic!
I am something of a fuddy-duddy when it comes to boys’ names. My top favorites? Thomas, George, and Roger. So I can totally appreciate Robert, and I would use Bobby as a nn. I just love these boy names with so much history and so many wonderful namesakes.
My Uncle Robert “Bob” (of course) was born in1928. His twin was named Roger.
Too funny to see Robert today! Josie walked up to me on Tuesday and announced “when I have a boy his name will be Robin”. I talked to her about the differences between Fifi/Josie & Josephine, mentioned Robert, nn Robin would be nice, so he could have options like her. She was sold! So I may end up with a grandson named Robert in 20 years. She already has lists of names *she* likes, I can hope she ends up using something normal like Robert. He’s so handsome & strong!
I was just watching part of a QI episode online where Stephen Fry informed the panelist that the poet Robert/Rabbie Burns actually prefered to call himself Robin.
This post has made me reassess Robert. I’ve never really thought about him before. I guess because he is just one of those ubiquitous names that is well worn amongst the Baby Boomers generation (like David and Richard for example). I rather like reliable Robert though and a young Robert could go by Bert or Bertie which I love!
I would just like to say thank you for brightening my day. I woke up in the middle of the night with a sick child and checked my email to find this… A picture of my boyfriend 😉
With that said… I can completely see pathetic girls like me changing their minds about this name thanks to a cute boy! Haha!
Here Robert is floating around not-quite on the Top 100. I see a lot more boys called Robbie (as their full name) than Robert, so I think people going for the nickname version might be keeping Robert off the Top 100.
I think while names like Robert, Frederick, Edward, Alfred and Archibald are seen as old-fashioned, Robbie, Freddy, Eddie, Alfie and Archie seem friendly, cute and fresh to many people.
Robert is the name of a brother, a grandfather, and a great-grandfather, so, naturally it is on my list. But, I have it on my list as a middle name.