Roberto
Roberto was the 570th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 519 babies. Its best year was 1980, when it ranked 145th; the most babies were born in 1991 (2,117). Over the last ten years it has moved down 212 places. More babies were named Roberto in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning bright fame (Spanish/Italian Robert) · Germanic, Spanish, Italian
Say it roh-BAIR-toh /roʊˈbɛrtoʊ/
- Rank in 2025
- #570 boys, down 133 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 519boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19912,117 babies
- Total since 1880
- 113,477babies recorded
What does the name Roberto mean?
Roberto is the Spanish, Italian and Portuguese form of Robert. Robert is a Germanic name: DMNES and Wiktionary trace it to Proto-Germanic hrōþiz, fame, and berhtaz, bright, so it means roughly "bright fame." It reached English through Anglo-Norman Robert, which replaced the native Old English form of the same name. DMNES records it across medieval Europe and lists saints and kings who bore it. Wiktionary records Roberto in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese; Italian and Spanish pair it with the feminine Roberta.
*Hrōþiberhtaz (Proto-Germanic, “fame + bright”)hrōþ- (Proto-Germanic, “fame, glory”)berht- (Proto-Germanic, “bright”)
How sure is this? Probable.
Related names: Robert, Roberta, Beto, Rob, Rupert.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean light, names that mean fame.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Roberto' (Italian section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Robert' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Robert', DMNES (Durham University)
Nicknames for Roberto
The usual nicknames for Roberto are Beto and Rob.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beto · Spanish pet form · also for Alberto, Gilberto | Traditional | — | — |
| Rob · also for Robert, Robin | Traditional | #10,457 | 41 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Robertos go by each one.
Roberto popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 834 since 1917.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #570 | 519 |
| 2020 | #437 | 677 |
| 2010 | #273 | 1,272 |
| 2000 | #187 | 1,957 |
| 1990 | #150 | 2,096 |
| 1980 | #145 | 1,881 |
| 1970 | #196 | 1,363 |
| 1960 | #258 | 946 |
| 1950 | #270 | 597 |
| 1940 | #322 | 309 |
| 1930 | #285 | 397 |
| 1920 | #496 | 148 |
| 1910 | #701 | 19 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Roberto, counting every spelling?
Roberto has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #566 for boys in 2025, against #570 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Roberto?
519 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Roberto (0.14 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Roberto 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 16 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Roberto.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Roberto?
About 96,300 people born in the US named Roberto are alive today, with a median age of 36; half are between 23 and 50. That makes Roberto mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Roberto by state
How common Roberto was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Texas (2.9×), Arizona (2.7×), California (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Missouri, Kentucky, South Carolina.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Roberto: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Roberto, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Roberto · Sibling names for Roberto
Questions about the name Roberto
What does Roberto mean?
Roberto means “bright fame (Spanish/Italian Robert)” (Germanic, Spanish, Italian origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Roberto?
Roberto was the 570th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 519 babies. Its best year was 1980, when it ranked 145th; the most babies were born in 1991 (2,117). Over the last ten years it has moved down 212 places. More babies were named Roberto in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Roberto a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Roberto in the US.
Where is Roberto most popular?
In 2021–2025, Roberto was most common in Texas (0.95 per 1,000 boys), followed by Arizona and California.