Boy
Robert
As a boy's name, Robert traces back to Germanic, where it is understood to mean "Bright fame". It has not kept pace since its 1950s peak. In the current registry, it is instantly recognizable. Few names stick around this long: it shows up across almost the entire twelve-decade span this registry covers.
GermanicBright fame
Old GermanBright, shining fame
Births by decade
1900s
36,046
1910s
240,241
1920s
579,602
1930s
593,451
1940s
760,131
1950s
832,336
1960s
653,556
1970s
400,035
1980s
323,861
1990s
205,945
2000s
106,743
2010s
52,456
Peaked in the 1950s · 4,784,403 total U.S. births since 1900