Roberta
Roberta was the 2809th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 61 babies. Its best year was 1936, when it ranked 64th; the most babies were born in 1953 (4,299). Over the last ten years it has moved up 31 places. More babies were named Roberta in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Meaning feminine of Robert, 'bright fame' · English, Germanic
Say it ruh-BUR-tuh /ɹəˈbɝtə/
- Rank in 2025
- #2,809 girls, up 859 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 61girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19534,299 babies
- Total since 1880
- 172,330babies recorded
What does the name Roberta mean?
Roberta is the feminine of Robert, as DMNES and Wiktionary note. Robert is a Germanic name from hrōd 'fame' and beraht 'bright', so 'bright fame'. DMNES records French feminine forms such as Roberde in the 16th century. Roberta was common in the US in the 1930s to 1950s.
hrōd (Proto-Germanic (*hrōþiz), “fame”)beraht (Old High German, “bright”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Robert, Bobbie, Robin, Berta.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean light, names that mean fame.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Roberta', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Roberta', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Nicknames for Roberta
The usual nicknames for Roberta are Bobbie, Bobbi, Robbie and Bert. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Roberta in the last five years, 139 were named Bobbi, against 162 twenty years earlier. Robbie is also gaining on the full name.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bobbie · also for Barbara | Traditional | #2,067 | 343 |
| Bobbi | Traditional | #1,834 | 417 |
| Robbie · also for Robert | Traditional | #3,159 | 202 |
| Bert · also for Robert, Albert, Herbert | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Robertas go by each one.
Roberta popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 782 since 1914.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,809 | 61 |
| 2020 | #3,668 | 41 |
| 2010 | #3,561 | 45 |
| 2000 | #2,368 | 66 |
| 1990 | #942 | 202 |
| 1980 | #444 | 481 |
| 1970 | #228 | 1,375 |
| 1960 | #149 | 2,843 |
| 1950 | #96 | 3,630 |
| 1940 | #71 | 3,431 |
| 1930 | #125 | 1,952 |
| 1920 | #144 | 1,636 |
| 1910 | #164 | 433 |
| 1900 | #225 | 199 |
| 1890 | #264 | 91 |
| 1880 | #270 | 34 |
How popular is Roberta, counting every spelling?
Roberta has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Roberta?
61 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Roberta (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Roberta 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 138 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Roberta.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Roberta?
About 89,800 people born in the US named Roberta are alive today, with a median age of 71; half are between 62 and 79. That makes Roberta 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.
Roberta by state
How common Roberta was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Texas (3.6×). In 46 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Roberta: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Roberta, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Roberta · Sibling names for Roberta
Questions about the name Roberta
What does Roberta mean?
Roberta means “feminine of Robert, 'bright fame'” (English, Germanic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Roberta?
Roberta was the 2809th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 61 babies. Its best year was 1936, when it ranked 64th; the most babies were born in 1953 (4,299). Over the last ten years it has moved up 31 places. More babies were named Roberta in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Is Roberta a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Roberta in the US.
Where is Roberta most popular?
In 2021–2025, Roberta was most common in Texas (0.13 per 1,000 girls), followed by Arizona and California.