girl's name
Roberta
ruh-BUR-tuh
- Origin Germanic
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 7
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 174,251
Northern Ireland
#406
1999 births
Roberta is a girl's name meaning bright fame, the feminine of Robert. Our data marks it stable, and England and Wales gives it a considerably stronger position at 1189th than the United States at 2813rd.
- Roberta is a name of Germanic origin.
- Peaked in 1953, when 4,310 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 54,351 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Roberta over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 541 |
| 1890s | 1,120 |
| 1900s | 2,372 |
| 1910s | 10,408 |
| 1920s | 18,325 |
| 1930s | 27,881 |
| 1940s | 38,203 |
| 1950s | 38,027 |
| 1960s | 21,199 |
| 1970s | 8,152 |
| 1980s | 3,341 |
| 1990s | 1,308 |
| 2000s | 548 |
| 2010s | 564 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 341 |
What Roberta means
Roberta means bright fame, or famous renown. The Germanic joins a word for fame to one meaning bright, so both halves reinforce the same idea of being widely known.
Where Roberta comes from
Roberta is the feminine of Robert, from the Germanic Hrodebert — hrod, fame, joined to beraht, bright. Both elements mean roughly the same thing, which is common in Germanic naming where compounds were often assembled for sound and status rather than sense. The Normans brought Robert to England, where it became one of the most common male names for centuries and produced Rob, Bob, Robin and Bobby. The feminine is much later and largely nineteenth-century, formed on the Latin pattern rather than inherited.
Roberta in use
Roberta peaked in the United States in 1953, when 4,310 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now charts in two of the seven markets we track — 1189th in England and Wales on 28 births and 2813rd in the United States on 61 — across 174,251 lifetime births. England and Wales places it more than sixteen hundred ranks above America.
How popular is Roberta?
In 2025, Roberta was given to 61 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Roberta is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Roberta
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Roberta also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Roberta over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
3 nicknames for Roberta
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Roberta in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Roberta
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Roberta — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Roberta
What does the name Roberta mean?
Bright fame — the Germanic hrod, fame, joined to beraht, bright.
Is Roberta the feminine of Robert?
Yes, formed on the Latin pattern in the nineteenth century rather than inherited from Germanic.
Why do both halves mean the same thing?
Germanic compounds were often assembled for sound and status rather than for a combined sense.
How popular is Roberta?
1189th in England and Wales and 2813rd in the United States.
Is Roberta a girl's or a boy's name?
Roberta is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Roberta?
Roberta has 3 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Roberta?
Roberta is usually shortened to Bobbie, Bertie and Bobbi.
Is Roberta a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Roberta currently ranks #1,189 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.