Robert

Traditionally interpreted as ‘bright fame’ or ‘famous brightness’ in Germanic name-meaning summaries.

Robert is a long-established classic name that has been widely used across Europe and the English-speaking world for centuries. Its familiarity means it tends to read as steady and traditional in everyday use, and it also supports a range of common short forms depending on region and family preference. In name-meaning summaries, Robert is commonly interpreted along the lines of “bright fame,” reflecting older Germanic elements often glossed as fame (hrod) and bright (beraht); that kind of breakdown is widely cited even though historical naming practices didn’t always use meanings in a modern, literal way. In American English the pronunciation is often RAH-bert, while in some British contexts it can be closer to ROB-ert; if you care about local usage, it’s worth matching the pronunciation people around you naturally use. Nicknames like Rob, Bob, and Bobby are common, making it easy to tailor the name’s formality to the situation.

Etymology: From older Germanic elements often glossed as fame (hrod) and bright (beraht).