Robbert
Masculine · “bright fame”
Robbert is how the Dutch write Robert, and the second b is not decoration. It is a spelling rule doing real work, and it has been carried by, among others, the Dutch physicist Robbert Dijkgraaf, who led the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.
How old is the name Robbert?
Robbert first appears in US birth records in 1915 — 110 years ago. The typical Robbert alive today was born around 1957, making them about 68 years old. About 400 people named Robbert are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Robbert most popular?
Robbert peaked in 1956, reaching #2015 nationally. See the whole 1956 chart.
Where it comes from
From Hrodebert to Robbert
The story of Robbert
In Dutch spelling, a vowel followed by a single consonant and then another vowel is read long, so Robert would sound like ROH-bert; doubling the b closes the first syllable and keeps the o short, the way Dutch writes bommen, bombs, against bomen, trees. English has its own history with the name. Medieval English turned Robert into Rob, Robin, Dob and Hob, and Hob became a word of its own for a country fellow and a mischievous household spirit, which is how English got the hobgoblin.
Meaning
bright fame
From the Germanic Hrodebert, joining hrod, fame, and berht, bright.
How the name formed
- Hrodebert
- Robert
- Robbert
Related forms: Robbert · Robert · Roberto · Robert · Raibeart
Pronouncing Robbert
ROB-urt
In English it is said like Robert. In Dutch the first syllable is short and the r is rolled or throaty, ROB-bert, with the stress on the first syllable.
Nicknames for Robbert
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
- 1915
- Most boys named
- 195616 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2015reached in 1956
- Change vs 1995
- 0.0%6 in 2003, from 6
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.
Robbert in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Robbert in Dutch — same name
- Robert in French — same name
- Roberto in Italian — same name
- Robert in German — same name
- Raibeart in Scottish Gaelic — same name
Robberts among us
people named Robbert 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
Robbert sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It is one of the most familiar names in the Western world in a spelling with a real reason behind it.
- Rob, Robbie and Bert are all ready short forms.
- It has a documented meaning and a thousand years of history.
- Americans will treat the second b as a typo and quietly drop it.
- Without a Dutch connection in the family, people may assume one when they see it.
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Robbert
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Robberts are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 400 people named Robbert are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Robbert in 2025?
- Robbert is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Robbert with classmates?
- Robbert will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More R names
The most-given names starting with R, all years combined.
Robert#92 · Richard#234 · Ronald#637 · Ryan#99 · Raymond#394 · Roger#832 · Ralph#1046 · Roy#525
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Robbert? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Robbert and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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