Robert is a first name typically given to boys, but in rare cases also used as a girls name.
The first name Robert is one of the top 100 most popular boys names in the US – currently at #66 in our SmartGenius ranking. Over 1,000 babies each year are named Robert, accounting for approximately 0.30 % of all newborn boys. In total, there are currently 4,737,489 people – children, adults and seniors – named Robert living in the United States, which is approximately 1.4 % of the entire population.
The name Robert can be translated as „bright flame“. It is an old name of Germanic origin that can both be used as a given name and a surname. Its meaning is derived of the Germanic elements „hrod“ meaning flame and „beraht“ meaning bright or famous.
Did you know… that the name Robert is popular among Catholics in honor of Saint Robert of Molesme, the founder of the Cistercian order of monks in the 11th century?
Robert de Niro (*1943)
Robert de Niro is considered one of the best actors of his generation. He has received several awards for his acting, including an Academy Award for his supporting role in 'The Godfather Part II', and is known for his collaborations with director Martin Scorsese.
Robert Downey Jr. (*1965)
Robert Downey Jr. is most known for his portrayal of the superhero Iron Man and his alter-ego Tony Stark within the Marvel Cenimatic Universe. His role as the title character in the movie 'Chaplin' (1992) earned him a nomination as Best Actor for an Academy Award.
Robert Redford (*1936)
In 2014, this American actor and filmmaker was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Redford is known for his roles in 'War Hunt' (1962), 'All the president's men' (1976), and 'Brubaker' (1980). In recent years, the actor has also made a name for himself as an avid environmentalist.
J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904 - 1967)
Julius Robert Oppenheimer, an American theoretical physicist, is often called 'the father of the atomic bomb' for his leading role in the 'Manhatten Project', an undertaking to develop the first atomic bomb. After World War II he lobbied for international control of nuclear power.
Robert Frost (1874 - 1963)
Known for his realistic depictions of the rural life in New England, USA in the early 20th century, Robert Frost is the only poet to win four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. Frost has been highly recognised for his mastery of American colloquial speech in his work.
Robert I (1274 - 1329)
Also known as Robert the Bruce, Robert I was King of the Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. The renowned warrior and strategist led his country during the First War of Scottish Independence from England.
When you hear the name Robert, you might first think of people. But did you know that there are also places with the name Robert? Are you also called Robert? Maybe one day you will visit the places that are named just like you...
is home to the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium or RFK Stadium for short. The sports stadium was opened in 1961.
is a private college in Istanbul, Turkey founded in 1863. It is the oldest continiously operating American school outside the USA.
is a prominent name for many US-American towns and cities, for example Roberts Landing in California.
Canada, try ice skating on Robert Lake which is frozen 6 to 7 months of the year from November to April or May. The lake is located near Quebec.
the Robert Moses State Park is known for its 5 mile stretch of sandy beaches on the Atlantic ocean. The park honours the influental urban planner Robert Moses.
16 - this is the count with which the first name Robert has reached the top position, i.e. rank 1, of the most popular first names for boys in the USA. Admittedly, the last time was a while ago, in the year 1953, when 86,478 newborn boys were given this beautiful name. And even if it wasn't on top in the recent past, it has been given by new parents to their sons every year since first name statistics began in 1880, putting it in the exclusive circle of only 442 first names for boys that are given at least 5 times a year in the USA. This makes Robert a classic first name and a part of the traditional American identity.
In years where the graph has no value, the name Robert was given less than five times or even none at all in the entire USA.
In 2022, the first name Robert was given to newborn boys 4,057 times, ranking it at #87 and making it the year with the least amount of newborn sons being named Robert by their parents. Even though the popularity of this name seems to be waning, a true classic can never be completely banished. So we can be confident that we will continue to see little boys named Robert for years to come.
Regardless of where you live in the US, chances are you know someone called Robert. Because: There are men and boys named Robert in every state in the USA. If this does not sound particularly spectacular to you, you should know that of the more than 50,000 different male first names that occur in the USA, just 386 are recorded in each individual state, so the name Robert is definitely something very special. In some regions it’s even the most frequently found male first name, for example in Idaho, where Robert is number one in our SmartGenius ranking of the most common first names for men. The greatest chance of meeting Robert, however, is in Rhode Island. (Interesting to know: The state in which a name achieves the highest ranking compared to all other names does not have to be the state in which it also occurs most frequently in relation to the population.) In Rhode Island, one in 22 boys and men bears this popular name – that is far above average – in the entire USA it is only one in 35 men and boys and in Nevada where the name is least represented in relation to the population, you even have to ask an average of 59 men and boys for their name before you once get Robert as an answer.
Well, you might say, you probably figured that out yourself! But what you might not know is: The letter R is quite common as an initial letter for boys’ names. To be precise, 5.2% of all boys' names in the US begin with this letter. The most common first letters of boys' names, by the way, are J, A and D.
With six letters, the name Robert is of average length. In fact, 28% of all common first names in the US consist of exactly six letters. 24% of all first names are shorter, while 48% have seven letters or more. On average, first names in the US (not counting hyphenated names) are 6.5 letters long. There are no significant differences between boys' and girls' names.
Therefore: As 5.2% of all boys' names start with R, this initial letter occurs much more often than all 26 letters on average. And maybe interesting to know: of all the names that begin with an R, Robert is the most common.
If your name is Robert and someone asks after your name, you can of course just tell them what it is. But sometimes that isn't so easy - what if it's too loud, and you don't understand them well? Or what if the other person is so far away that you can see them but not hear them? In these situations, you can communicate your name in so many other ways: you call spell it, sign it, or even use a flag to wave it...
So that everyone really understands you when you have to spell the name Robert, you can simply say:
Rocket
Orange
Butterfly
Elephant
Rocket
Tiger
Braille is made up of dots, which the blind and visually impaired can feel to read words.
Robert
Robert
Just use American Sign Language!
These flags are used for maritime communication - each flag represents a letter.
R
O
B
E
R
T
In the navy, sailors of two ships might wave flags to each other to send messages. A sailor holds two flags in specific positions to represent different letters.
R
O
B
E
R
T
In Morse code, letters and other characters are represented only by a series of short and long tones. For example, a short tone followed by a long tone stands for the letter A. Robert sounds like this:
