UK boy's name
Robert
From the old German "bright renown", a masculine given name.
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.
Robert is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Robert popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #151, with 340 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 2,644 births.
This profile covers 27,462 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, 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 13% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 46,680 living people in the UK are called Robert. 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
- • Robert ranked #151 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 340 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 2,644 boys were registered as Robert.
- • Robert ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #80 in 2024.
- • About 46,680 living people in the UK are estimated to have Robert as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#151
2024
Births in 2024
340
Latest year
Peak year
1996
2,644 births
Estimated living
46,680
2026
Meaning
What does Robert mean?
The given name Robert has its origins in the Germanic language family, derived from the ancient Germanic words "hrod" meaning "fame" and "berht" meaning "bright." It is believed to have emerged as a personal name during the early Middle Ages, around the 6th or 7th century AD.
Robert is a variant of the older Germanic name Robrecht or Ruprecht, which was popular among the Frankish people of what is now modern-day France and Germany. The name's popularity spread throughout Europe during the medieval period, aided by its association with various historical figures and saints.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Robert appears in the 8th century, when it was borne by Robert the Strong, a Frankish nobleman and military leader who played a crucial role in defending Paris against Viking raids. Another notable early figure was Robert Guiscard, a Norman adventurer and the Duke of Apulia and Calabria in the 11th century.
The name Robert gained further prominence with the rise of the Normans in England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. Robert, Duke of Normandy, the eldest son of William the Conqueror, was a significant figure in this period. Subsequently, many English kings and nobles bore the name, including Robert Curthose (c. 1054-1134), the eldest son of William the Conqueror, and Robert the Bruce (1274-1329), the famous Scottish king who secured Scotland's independence.
In the realm of literature, Robert Browning (1812-1889) was a renowned English poet and playwright, known for his dramatic monologues and pioneering works in the field of Victorian poetry. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), the Scottish novelist, essayist, and travel writer, is celebrated for his literary classics such as "Treasure Island" and "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde."
The name Robert has also been borne by several notable figures in the arts and sciences. Robert Hooke (1635-1703) was an English scientist and architect who made significant contributions to the fields of physics, biology, and architecture. Robert Fulton (1765-1815) was an American engineer and inventor, best known for developing the first commercially successful steamboat.
Throughout history, the name Robert has remained a popular choice across various cultures and regions, with its roots firmly established in the Germanic linguistic tradition and its association with numerous influential figures spanning different eras and fields.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Robert over time
The chart below shows babies named Robert registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 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 Robert, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 340 births in 2024, compared with 2,644 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Robert by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Robert 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 | #143 | 1,894 | 5 |
| 2010s | #103 | 6,140 | 10 |
| 2000s | #67 | 10,529 | 10 |
| 1990s | #35 | 8,899 | 4 |
Geography
Where Robert is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Robert. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Robert ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #80 in 2024.
Across the UK
Robert in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#80 in 2024
51 years of NRS records, 18,734 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#93 in 2024
28 years of NISRA records, 1,243 total registered
Related
Names similar to Robert
- Ryan 68,692
- Riley 37,992
- Reuben 25,122
- Rhys 24,418
- Reece 24,329
- Rory 21,870
- Roman 16,609
- Ronnie 16,445
- Reggie 14,684
- Rowan 14,371
- Ralph 8,892
- Richard 8,565
FAQ
Robert: questions and answers
How popular is the name Robert in the UK right now?
In 2024, Robert was ranked #151 for boys in England and Wales, with 340 births registered.
When was Robert most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 2,644 babies registered as Robert in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Robert?
From the old German "bright renown", a masculine given name.
How many people are called Robert in the UK?
A total of 27,462 babies have been registered as Robert across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 18,734 more in Scotland and 1,243 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Robert most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Robert ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #80 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
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.