UK boy's name
Bert
A diminutive from Germanic roots meaning "bright" or "shining".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Bert is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Bert popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5119, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2015, with 11 births.
This profile covers 123 England and Wales registrations across 24 recorded years from 1997 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 27% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 122 living people in the UK are called Bert. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Bert ranked #5119 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2015, when 11 boys were registered as Bert.
- • About 122 living people in the UK are estimated to have Bert as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5119
2024
Births in 2024
3
Latest year
Peak year
2015
11 births
Estimated living
122
2026
Meaning
What does Bert mean?
The name Bert is a shortened form of the Germanic name Bertram or Bertrand, which is derived from the Old Germanic elements "berhta" meaning "bright" and "hraban" meaning "raven." It is believed that the name originated in the early medieval period, around the 5th to 8th centuries.
The earliest recorded use of the name Bert is found in the Domesday Book, a record of landowners in England compiled in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror. In the book, a landowner named "Bert" is mentioned as holding lands in Hampshire.
One of the earliest notable figures to bear the name Bert was Bert, Count of Andechs, a German nobleman who lived in the 12th century. He was a prominent figure in the Holy Roman Empire and played a significant role in the politics of the time.
Another historical figure named Bert was Bert Brecht, a German playwright and poet who lived from 1898 to 1956. He is renowned for his plays such as "The Threepenny Opera" and "Mother Courage and Her Children," which explored social and political themes.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded uses of the name Bert was Bert Williams, an influential African American entertainer and comedian who lived from 1874 to 1922. He is considered a pioneering figure in vaudeville and helped pave the way for future African American performers.
Bert Lahr, an American actor and comedian who lived from 1895 to 1967, is also remembered for his iconic role as the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz." His performance is widely regarded as one of the most memorable in the classic movie.
Another notable figure named Bert was Bert Hellinger, a German philosopher and psychotherapist who lived from 1925 to 2019. He developed a therapeutic approach known as Family Constellation Therapy, which focuses on exploring and resolving family dynamics and inherited patterns.
While the name Bert has its roots in Germanic languages, it has been adopted and used in various cultures throughout history, reflecting the widespread influence and migration of people bearing this name.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Bert over time
The chart below shows babies named Bert registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1997 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Bert, the clearest high point is 2015. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2024, compared with 11 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bert by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Bert was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #3687 | 27 | 5 |
| 2010s | #3230 | 60 | 10 |
| 2000s | #3220 | 32 | 8 |
| 1990s | #2337 | 4 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Bert
- Benjamin 90,412
- Ben 36,356
- Bradley 30,230
- Brandon 26,411
- Billy 18,608
- Bobby 16,904
- Blake 16,337
- Bailey 16,014
- Brody 7,230
- Beau 6,722
- Barnaby 5,284
- Brodie 4,801
FAQ
Bert: questions and answers
How popular is the name Bert in the UK right now?
In 2024, Bert was ranked #5119 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Bert most popular?
The peak year on record was 2015, with 11 babies registered as Bert in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Bert?
A diminutive from Germanic roots meaning "bright" or "shining".
How many people are called Bert in the UK?
A total of 123 babies have been registered as Bert across the 24 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.