Do you have a friend or relative called Robert and you want to find a nickname for him? But you also want to step away from the very traditional nicknames of Bob or Bobby.
In this article, we have put together some of the most popular nicknames for Robert, some are traditional and there are other less common ones.
But first of all, let’s take a quick look at where the name Robert comes from and its meaning.
In this article
The Meaning Of Robert
Robert is a boy’s name of both German and English origin and means bright fame.
The name Robert was derived from the ancient Germanic name Hrodebert and is made of the elements hrod meaning fame and bertha meaning bright.
Robert was first introduced to Britain by the Normans, which replaced the Old English equivalent Hreodbeorht.
Robert was in the top 25 names for an entire century, ensuring that it solidified its true classic status. Although its popularity has wained as it is considered a less than a stylish name, it is still widely used as a family name.
The nicknames that come from Robert such as Bob and Bobby, are also classic and many would say are even stuck in the past. But there are some nicknames for Robert that are considered more modern and some that are even considered cute.
Popular Nicknames For Robert
Robert is a classic name that has been in the top 25 names for over a century.
- Bert
- Bertie
- Beto
- Bob
- Bobby
- Nob
- Obert
- Rab
- Rabbie
- Raby
- Robbie
- Rip
- Ro
- Rob
- Robb
- Robt
- Robbert
- Roberti
- Robertus
- Roberto
- Roberta
- Robbies
- Robeson
- Robi
- Robbie
- Robby
- Robin
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Funny Nicknames For Robert
Here we have some funny interpretations of the name Robert. Nicknames are often subjective and personal so they re a chance to express your personal relationship with the person or an experience you have shared.
- Billy Bob
- Bob the builder
- Bob Marley
- Bobbert
- Bobert
- Bobel head
- Bobbit
- Bobo
- Bobolink – like the bird
- Boob
- Booby
- Bubba
- Dob
- Dobby – A reference to the house-elf in the Harry Potter Series
- Dobbin
- Hob
- No Woman, No Cry – A reference to the hit single by Bob Marley “No Woman, No Cry”.
- Rabbit
- Rocky
- Roe
- Reboot
- Riobard
- Robbercik
- Robban
- Robbyboby
- Roberta
- Robetina
- Robertine
- Ricky-Bobby
- Roopertti
- Ropke
- Rotbtyht
- Rovertos
- Ruby
- Ruppretta
- Ruprette
- Scmobert
- Roboboo
- Robber
- Robster
- Robby the Nobby
- Schobert
- Sponge BOB – After the cartoon character, sponge bob square pants.
- Trebor – Robert spelled backward.
Famous People Named Robert
It will not surprise you that a name that spent almost a century in the top 25 has some notable name bearers. Here are some of those famous Roberts from past and present.
- Robert I and II – Kings of France.
- Robert I – Duke of Normandy and father of William the Conqueror.
- Robert the Bruce – King of Scotland.
- Robert Downey Jr. – American actor famous for his role as Iron Man in the Marvel films.
- Robert Redford – American actor.
- Robert Mueller – American attorney and the 6th director of the FBI.
- Robert Pattinson – British actor famous for his role as the vampire Edward Cullen in the Twilight series.
- Robert Edward Howard – Famous Pulp Fiction writer and poet. He was also the creator of Conan the Barbarian.
This is just a small example of those famous people called Robert, there are plenty more to be found.
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Why Is Bob A Nickname For Robert
One of the most common and well-known nicknames for Robert is Bob. But how did this come about?
The most plausible explanation is that it is a hypocorism, this is a pet name, nickname, or term of endearment of Rob, which is short for Robert.
These kinds of rhyming names were popular in the middle ages and so Robert became Rob, Hob, Dob, Nob, or Bob.
International Variations of Robert
Our world is made up of hundreds and thousands of different languages. so it is not surprising that there are quite a few variations of the name Robert from these different languages.
These are also some great options for unusual nicknames too. Here are a few that we liked and their language of origin.
- Boris – Bulgarian
- Hob – Medieval English
- Hopcyn – Welsh
- Hrodebert – Old High German
- Raivo – Estonian
- Raibeart – Scottish
- Rhobert – Welsh
- Robban – Swedish
- Robbercik – Polish
- Robrecht – Old Dutch
- Robere – Old French
- Robertinho – Portuguese
- Robertino – Italian
- Roberto – Spanish
- Robertus – Latin
- Robi – Hungarian, Croatian, Romanian, Serbian
- Robinet – French
- Robus – Means little Robert in Polish
- Roibeard – Irish
- Riobard
- Rodbeart
- Roopertti – Finnish
- Ropke – Low German
- Rotbtyht – Old English
- Rotebert – Germanic
- Rovertos – Greek
- Rubert – Old Dutch
- Rudebert
- Rudebet
- Rupert – Dutch, German
The Final Thought
There are plenty of options for nicknames for Robert available. They range from cute to the more traditional Bob. But nicknames also tend to be very personal and usually are the result of a story or event that you have been involved in.
They often reflect the depth of your friendship or relationship with that person. With this in mind, you may have some less common nicknames for Robert’s in your life.
