UK boy's name
Roberto
A masculine given name of Italian origin meaning "bright fame".
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.
Roberto is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Roberto popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2671, with 8 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1998, with 40 births.
This profile covers 599 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, 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 20% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 615 living people in the UK are called Roberto. 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
- • Roberto ranked #2671 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 8 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1998, when 40 boys were registered as Roberto.
- • Roberto ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #733 in 2017.
- • About 615 living people in the UK are estimated to have Roberto as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#2671
2024
Births in 2024
8
Latest year
Peak year
1998
40 births
Estimated living
615
2026
Meaning
What does Roberto mean?
The name Roberto is derived from the Germanic name Robert, which in turn comes from the old Germanic words "hruod" meaning "fame" and "berht" meaning "bright". The name Roberto is the Spanish and Italian form of Robert.
Roberto first appeared in historical records in the 8th century during the reign of the Frankish king Charlemagne. It was a popular name among the Normans who spread it throughout Europe after their conquest of England in 1066.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Roberto is Roberto Guiscardo, a Norman adventurer born around 1015 who became Duke of Apulia and Calabria in southern Italy. He played a key role in the Norman conquest of southern Italy and Sicily.
Another notable historical figure was Roberto d'Angiò, born in 1278, who was the King of Naples from 1309 until his death in 1343. He was a skilled military leader and patron of the arts.
In the 15th century, Roberto Valturio (1405-1475) was an Italian engineer and writer who authored one of the first printed books on military technology and tactics.
Roberto Bellarmine (1542-1621) was an Italian Jesuit and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was one of the most important figures in the Counter-Reformation and is a Doctor of the Church.
Roberto Clemente (1934-1972) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball player who spent his entire 18-year career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was an exceptional hitter and outfielder, and the first Latin American player to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Roberto over time
The chart below shows babies named Roberto 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 Roberto, the clearest high point is 1998. The latest England and Wales figure is 8 births in 2024, compared with 40 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Roberto by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Roberto 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 | #1968 | 60 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1466 | 176 | 10 |
| 2000s | #990 | 218 | 10 |
| 1990s | #516 | 145 | 4 |
Geography
Where Roberto is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Roberto. 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.
Roberto ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #733 in 2017.
Across the UK
Roberto in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#733 in 2017
7 years of NRS records, 22 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Roberto
-
Roberto Pavoni
swimmer
British swimmer
1991-
-
Roberto Bentivegna
screenwriter; cinematographer; director
British-born Italian screenwriter
1982-
-
Roberto Romanello
poker player
British poker player
1976-
-
Roberto Edwards Eastman
photographer; entrepreneur; artist
Chilean entrepreneur, artist and photographer
1937-2022
-
Roberto Inglez
pianist
1913-1978
-
Roberto Cajamarca Gómez
economist; diplomat
Colombian economist
1901-
-
Roberto Ramsay
military personnel
1773-1854
-
Roberto Young
politician
politician
1700-1743
Related
Names similar to Roberto
- Ryan 68,692
- Riley 37,992
- Robert 27,462
- 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
FAQ
Roberto: questions and answers
How popular is the name Roberto in the UK right now?
In 2024, Roberto was ranked #2671 for boys in England and Wales, with 8 births registered.
When was Roberto most popular?
The peak year on record was 1998, with 40 babies registered as Roberto in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Roberto?
A masculine given name of Italian origin meaning "bright fame".
How many people are called Roberto in the UK?
A total of 599 babies have been registered as Roberto across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 22 more in Scotland.
Where is Roberto most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Roberto ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #733 in 2017. 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.