If you were to nickname a contemporary Robert (if at all) what would you use? As for the name in general, do you see it as a classic that's not as common on contemporary boys, a bit boring, or even a bit dated?
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Robert: Nickname-Rich Name of the Week (July 12)
Continuing with the English classics, but this time on the boy's side, I'm featuring Robert this week. You probably know at least one if not numerous Roberts, as it was one of the most popular boy's names of the 20th Century (and several other centuries before that), especially during the Silent and Boomer generations when in some years it was given to upwards of 5% of boys (by comparison the most popular names of the present times barely crack 1% of births for their respective gender). Among the living Roberts the nicknames tend to evolve from the Bob-type to the ones with the matching initial consonant such as Rob(bie) as they get younger. If Bob seems illogical, other forms such as Hob and Dob were used historically (that's how ubiquitous Robert has been throughout the ages!).
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I see Robert as a perennial classic, and it is a little bit boring, but seems more sturdy and enduring than other boring-yet-popular names like Daniel.
ReplyDeleteI can only see myself using Robbie as a nickname, maybe shortened to Rob when (much) older. By bad luck, although this is a family name, it's also the name of my father's arch Nemesis, and also a former employer who refused to pay me, so it doesn't have a good history with me.