Bob

  • [ BAHB (English), BAWB (Dutch) ]
  • English, Dutch
Short form of ROBERT. It arose later than Dob, Hob and Nob, which were medieval rhyming nicknames of Robert. It was borne by the character Bob Cratchit in Charles Dickens' novel 'A Christmas Carol' (1843). Other famous bearers include American folk musician Bob Dylan (1941-) and Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley (1945-1981).

ROBERT   male   English, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Russian, Slovene, Croatian, Romanian, Ancient Germanic
From the Germanic name Hrodebert meaning "bright fame", derived from the Germanic elements hrod "fame" and beraht "bright". The Normans introduced this name to Britain, where it replaced the Old English cognate Hreodbeorht. It has been a very common English name since that time.

The name has been borne by two early kings of France, two Dukes of Normandy, and three kings of Scotland, including Robert the Bruce who restored the independence of Scotland from England in the 14th century. The author Robert Browning (1812-1889) and poets Robert Burns (1759-1796) and Robert Frost (1874-1963) are famous literary bearers of this name. Other bearers include Robert E. Lee (1807-1870), the commander of the Confederate army during the American Civil War, and American actors Robert Redford (1936-), Robert De Niro (1943-) and Robert Downey Jr. (1965-).
FULL FORMS
DUTCH: Robert, Robrecht, Rupert
ENGLISH: Robert, Rupert
EQUIVALENTS
ANCIENT GERMANIC: Hrodebert, Hrodpreht, Robert
BRETON: Roparzh
CROATIAN: Robert
CZECH: Robert
DANISH: Robert
DUTCH: Bob, Brecht, Rob, Robbe, Robin
ENGLISH: Bob, Rob, Robbie, Robby, Robin
FINNISH: Pertti, Roope, Roopertti
FRENCH: Robert
GERMAN: Robert, Rupert, Ruprecht
HUNGARIAN: Róbert, Robi
ICELANDIC: Róbert
IRISH: Roibeárd
ITALIAN: Berto, Roberto
LATVIAN: Roberts
LITHUANIAN: Robertas
MEDIEVAL ENGLISH: Hob
NORWEGIAN: Robert
POLISH: Robert, Rupert
PORTUGUESE: Roberto
ROMANIAN: Robert
RUSSIAN: Robert
SCOTTISH: Rab, Rabbie, Raibeart
SLOVAK: Robert
SLOVENE: Robert
SPANISH: Berto, Roberto, Ruperto
SWEDISH: Robert, Robin
DIMINUTIVES AND SHORT FORMS
ENGLISH: Bobbie, Bobby
MEDIEVAL ENGLISH: Hopkin
WELSH: Hopcyn
FEMININE FORMS
DUTCH: Brechtje
ENGLISH: Bobbi, Bobbie, Robbie, Robena, Roberta, Robina, Robyn, Robynne
ITALIAN: Roberta, Robertina
SPANISH: Roberta, Robertina, Ruperta