Robert
Say it: ROB-ert
BoyMeans bright fame6 letters2 syllables
#104
in Ireland (2025)
#106 with spellings combined
54
babies in 2025
#12
best rank (1978)
20,417
babies since 1964
Down 52
10-year rank change
Robert through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 54 | #106 |
| 2024 | 58 | #101 |
| 2023 | 72 | #87 |
| 2022 | 82 | #80 |
| 2021 | 75 | #86 |
| 2020 | 90 | #76 |
| 2019 | 84 | #82 |
| 2018 | 116 | #58 |
| 2017 | 109 | #67 |
| 2016 | 132 | #56 |
| 2015 | 147 | #54 |
| 2014 | 154 | #52 |
| 2013 | 175 | #50 |
| 2012 | 175 | #48 |
| 2011 | 169 | #53 |
| 2010 | 198 | #43 |
| 2009 | 203 | #44 |
| 2008 | 172 | #49 |
| 2007 | 207 | #40 |
| 2006 | 206 | #37 |
| 2005 | 205 | #37 |
| 2004 | 196 | #38 |
| 2003 | 204 | #34 |
| 2002 | 227 | #30 |
| 2001 | 240 | #33 |
| 2000 | 200 | #37 |
| 1999 | 240 | #27 |
| 1998 | 214 | #27 |
| 1997 | 336 | #22 |
| 1996 | 343 | #23 |
| 1995 | 331 | #25 |
| 1994 | 399 | #14 |
| 1993 | 453 | #15 |
| 1992 | 455 | #15 |
| 1991 | 459 | #15 |
| 1990 | 481 | #16 |
| 1989 | 485 | #15 |
| 1988 | 504 | #14 |
| 1987 | 510 | #15 |
| 1986 | 522 | #15 |
| 1985 | 500 | #15 |
| 1984 | 573 | #14 |
| 1983 | 615 | #14 |
| 1982 | 661 | #12 |
| 1981 | 658 | #12 |
| 1980 | 670 | #12 |
| 1979 | 579 | #12 |
| 1978 | 555 | #12 |
| 1977 | 470 | #16 |
| 1976 | 457 | #17 |
| 1975 | 437 | #19 |
| 1974 | 450 | #17 |
| 1973 | 466 | #19 |
| 1972 | 472 | #18 |
| 1971 | 481 | #20 |
| 1970 | 448 | #19 |
| 1969 | 420 | #19 |
| 1968 | 479 | #16 |
| 1967 | 332 | #24 |
| 1966 | 317 | #25 |
| 1965 | 353 | #23 |
| 1964 | 342 | #22 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Robert mean?
Bright fame
Germanic, from words for fame and bright, brought to England by the Normans.
Say it right
ROBert
The story of Robert
Robert is a Germanic name made from two parts, one meaning fame and the other bright. The Normans brought it to England after 1066, where it replaced the Old English form of the same name, and it has been one of the most common English names ever since. Robin began as a French pet form of it, and Rupert is another form of the same name.
The name reached Ireland with the Normans too. Robert FitzStephen was among the first Norman knights to land here, in 1169. Later bearers range from Robert the Bruce, king of Scots, to Robert Emmet, the Dublin patriot executed after the rising of 1803.
Robert was already common in Ireland when the CSO records begin, and it stayed in the top 25 for over thirty years. Its best rank was number 12, first reached in 1978, and its busiest year was 1980, with 670 boys. It has drifted down since, and in 2025 the CSO ranked it number 104.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Robert (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Robert
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Nicknames
RobRobbieBobBobby
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Robert | 54 | 20,417 |
In Northern Ireland
#114 in 2025 with 20 babies. Best rank #35 (1997); 1,263 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.