Bert
Bert was the 10866th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 6 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 47th; the most babies were born in 1918 (698). Over the last ten years it has moved down 4,146 places. More babies were named Bert in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning "bright" (short for -bert names) · Germanic, English
Say it BURT /bɝt/
- Rank in 2025
- #10,866 boys, down 2,703 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 6boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1918698 babies
- Total since 1880
- 34,242babies recorded
What does the name Bert mean?
Bert is a short form of names that contain the Germanic element berht, "bright, famous", such as Albert, Robert, Herbert, Gilbert, Hubert and Bertram. DMNES also records Bert as a stand-alone medieval name from the same element. Bert was most common in the US around 1900; Bert of Sesame Street keeps it familiar.
beraht / berht (Old High German / Old Saxon, “bright”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Albert, Robert, Herbert, Bertie, Burt.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean light.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Bert', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Bert', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Bert (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Nicknames for Bert
The usual nicknames for Bert are Bertie.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bertie · also for Albert, Bertha, Alberta | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Berts go by each one.
Bert popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 657 since 1883.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #10,866 | 6 |
| 2020 | #8,163 | 9 |
| 2010 | #8,223 | 9 |
| 2000 | #3,782 | 21 |
| 1990 | #1,516 | 56 |
| 1980 | #809 | 118 |
| 1970 | #518 | 241 |
| 1960 | #400 | 391 |
| 1950 | #368 | 339 |
| 1940 | #284 | 384 |
| 1930 | #232 | 542 |
| 1920 | #218 | 593 |
| 1910 | #190 | 141 |
| 1900 | #143 | 153 |
| 1890 | #97 | 180 |
| 1880 | #47 | 348 |
How popular is Bert, counting every spelling?
Bert has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Bert?
6 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Bert (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Bert born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 1,368 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Bert.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Bert?
About 9,800 people born in the US named Bert are alive today, with a median age of 66; half are between 55 and 75. That makes Bert a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Bert: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Bert, they share its era and feel.
Bert is also a nickname for Robert, Albert, Herbert, Bertha, Roberta, Gilbert, Alberta and Hubert.
Questions about the name Bert
What does Bert mean?
Bert means “"bright" (short for -bert names)” (Germanic, English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Bert?
Bert was the 10866th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 6 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 47th; the most babies were born in 1918 (698). Over the last ten years it has moved down 4,146 places. More babies were named Bert in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Bert a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Bert in the US.