Robert
A classic personal name-turned-surname from an old Germanic name meaning “bright fame.”
The #2,944 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 25,346 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Robert comes from an ancient Germanic personal name built from elements meaning “fame” and “bright.” In Old High German and related early forms, the name appears with spellings like Hruodberht, which later developed into French Robert and then entered England after the Norman Conquest. As a surname, it usually began as a patronymic, meaning “son of Robert,” though in some cases it could also be used simply as a hereditary family name from an ancestor’s given name.
History
The given name was well established in medieval England by the 11th and 12th centuries, and surnames formed from it soon followed. Historical records and surname dictionaries note many offshoots, including Roberts, Robertson, Robson, Robinson, Robarts, and Roby. The name also generated contracted or prefixed forms in Britain, such as Fitz-Robert and Welsh Ap-Robert / Probert.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Medieval records show Robert in many spelling forms long before surnames became fixed, including Rodbert and Rodbriht in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
From the historical record
“ROBERSON for Robertson, q.v. ROBERT (Teut.) i FAME-BRiGHT[Fr. Robert, O. , TevLt.Hruodber(a)ht,Ruodperht, etc.(Mod.H. GeT.Rupreckt,etc.),HrdVberht,Hr^biart,etc. — O.H.Ger. h)ruod- = O.Sax. *hri}S- = O.E. A>-<«S- (hr^ = O.N. hr(fS-r, fame, victory + O.H.Ger. beraht = O.Sax. berht = O.E. be(p)rht = Goth, bairht-s =…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)