Meaning and Origin of the Surname Roberts

Meaning and Origin of the Surname Roberts A patronymic surname translating to son of Robert, from the Welsh given name Robert, meaning bright fame. The surname is derived from the Germanic elements hrod meaning fame and beraht meaning bright. The origin of the name Roberts is  Welsh and  German and is the 45th most popular surname in the United States as well as the sixth most common surname in Wales. Quick Facts The nickname for Robert is typically Bob or Bobby while the feminine form is often Roberta or Bobbi.The Normans historically introduced the surname Roberts to Britain allowing it to be popular in places like England, Wales and Ireland.Roberts can also be attributed to the Italian root connected to Rupert and is connected to Flanders by the names Rops and Rubbens.The popular fictional character and childrens toy doll, Barbie, is also known by her full name as Barbara Millicent Roberts. Alternate Surname Spellings RobertRobartsRobinsRobartRopartzRobbertsRopertRuppert Famous People Julia Roberts:  American actress popular for films Pretty Woman, Steel Magnolias, and Erin Brockovich. She is one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood.Rick Ross:  His real name is William Leonard Roberts II. Rick Ross is a rapper and label boss who was first signed to P. Diddys Ciroc Entertainment.Doris Roberts:  Famous television actress known for her role in the popular series Everbody Loves Raymond. She had also been on Desperate Housewives, Greys Anatomy and other TV shows. Genealogy Resources 100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their MeaningsSmith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census?Roberts Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Roberts surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Roberts query.FamilySearch - Roberts GenealogyFind records, queries, and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Roberts surname and its variations.Roberts Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Roberts surname.Cousin Connect - Roberts Genealogy QueriesRead or post genealogy queries for the surname Roberts, and sign up for free notification when new Roberts queries are added.DistantCousin.com - Roberts Genealogy Family HistoryFree databases and genealogy links for the last name Roberts. Check out the resource First Name Meanings to discover the meaning of a given name.  Suggest a surname  be added to the Glossary of Surname Meanings and Origins if you are unable to find your last name listed. Source Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German-Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu, 2005. Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Avotaynu, 2004. Hanks, Patrick, and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.