Norbert
Masculine · “bright north”
Norbert is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 20,379 boys against 6 girls since 1880.
Norbert is the north, made bright. Germanic naming paired two plain words, and this one puts a compass direction next to the element that ends Albert, Herbert and Robert.
How old is the name Norbert?
Norbert first appears in US birth records in 1885 — 140 years ago. The typical Norbert alive today was born around 1930, making them about 95 years old. About 5,700 people named Norbert are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Norbert most popular?
Norbert peaked in 1922, reaching #206 nationally. See the whole 1922 chart.
Where it comes from
From nord + beraht to Norbert
The story of Norbert
Norbert of Xanten was a twelfth-century German nobleman who founded the Premonstratensian order after a conversion he attributed to being thrown from his horse in a storm; he became archbishop of Magdeburg and a widely venerated saint. His name spread through the German-speaking lands and the Low Countries. German emigration carried it to America in the nineteenth century, where it peaked around 1922.
Meaning
bright north
From the Germanic nord, 'north', and beraht, 'bright'. The northern element is unusual in personal names, which more often draw on battle, fame, wealth or animals. Both halves are ordinary words and the compound is undisputed.
How the name formed
- nord + beraht
- Norbert
Related forms: Norbert · Norbert · Norbert · Norbert
Pronouncing Norbert
NOR-burt
Two syllables, stress on the first. German, French, Polish and Hungarian all use the identical spelling.
Nicknames for Norbert
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1885
- Most boys named
- 1922628 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #206reached in 1922
- Change vs 2021
- 0.0%14 in 2024, from 14
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Norbert in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Norbert in German — same name
- Norbert in French — same name
- Norbert in Polish — same name
- Norbert in Hungarian — same name
Norberts among us
people named Norbert are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Norbert has already lived its whole cycle: it rose, had its era, and has stepped off the charts. The fashion question is behind it — what lies ahead is the waiting room where revivals begin, once a name's first generation has grown distant enough for it to sound fresh again.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- The compound is transparent and both elements are thoroughly documented.
- It is spelled identically in German, French, Polish and Hungarian, so it crosses borders unchanged.
- A documented twelfth-century founder stands behind it.
- The whole -bert family is firmly period-coded to the turn of the last century in English-speaking countries.
- It reads as distinctly continental, which is either the appeal or the obstacle.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Norbert to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Norbert? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Norbert
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Norberts are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 5,700 people named Norbert are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Norbert in 2025?
- Norbert is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Norbert with classmates?
- Norbert will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More N names
The most-given names starting with N, all years combined.
Nicholas#112 · Nathan#63 · Noah#2 · Nathaniel#140 · Norman#1196 · Nolan#65 · Neil#850 · Nicolas#177
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Norbert? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Norbert and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle