Bert (disambiguation)
Encyclopedia
Bert is a hypocoristic
form of a number of Germanic male given name
, such as Robert
and Albert.
There is a large number of Germanic names ending in -bert, second in number only to those ending in -wolf (-olf, -ulf). Most of these names are early medieval or medieval and only a comparatively small fraction remains in modern use.
The element -berht has the meaning of "bright
", Old English beorht/berht, Old High German beraht/bereht, utimately from a Common Germanic *berhtaz, from a PIE
root *bhereg- "white, bright".
The female hypocoristic of names containing the same element is Berta.
Modern English bright itself has the same etymology, but it has suffered metathesis
at an early date, already in the Old English period, attested as early as AD 700 in the Lindisfarne Gospels
. The unmetathesized form disappears after AD 1000 and Middle English
from about 1200 has briht universally.
, the names with berht can be considered theophoric, in connection with the goddess Perchta
. The full form of Old High German beraht is reduced in two ways, by omission of either the second (berht, perht, pert) or the first vowel (braht, praht, brat, prat, brecht). Early attestations of such names include Ethberictus, Garberictus, and Transberictus mentioned in Hontheim
's Historia Trevirensis s. a. 699. Pardessus
' Diplomata s. a. 745 has Berdbert as a rare example of a reduplicated Germanic name. Förstemann counts 369 names with final -bert(a), of which 61 are feminine.
Given names that remain in modern use include:
Albert/Adalbert,
Robert
,
Berthold/Bertold
Bertrand
/Bertram,
Herbert,
Norbert.
Hypocoristic
A hypocorism is a shorter form of a word or given name, for example, when used in more intimate situations as a nickname or term of endearment.- Derivation :Hypocorisms are often generated as:...
form of a number of Germanic male given name
Germanic name
Germanic given names are traditionally dithematic; that is, they are formed from two elements, by joining a prefix and a suffix. For example, King Æþelred's name was derived from æþel, for "noble", and ræd, for "counsel". Many of these names are still used today, while others have fallen out of use...
, such as Robert
Robert
The name Robert is a Germanic given name, from hrod "fame" and beraht "bright". It is also in use as a surname.After becoming widely used in Continental Europe it entered England in its Old French form Robert, where an Old English cognate form had existed before the Norman Conquest...
and Albert.
There is a large number of Germanic names ending in -bert, second in number only to those ending in -wolf (-olf, -ulf). Most of these names are early medieval or medieval and only a comparatively small fraction remains in modern use.
The element -berht has the meaning of "bright
Brightness
Brightness is an attribute of visual perception in which a source appears to be radiating or reflecting light. In other words, brightness is the perception elicited by the luminance of a visual target...
", Old English beorht/berht, Old High German beraht/bereht, utimately from a Common Germanic *berhtaz, from a PIE
Pie
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients....
root *bhereg- "white, bright".
The female hypocoristic of names containing the same element is Berta.
Modern English bright itself has the same etymology, but it has suffered metathesis
Metathesis (linguistics)
Metathesis is the re-arranging of sounds or syllables in a word, or of words in a sentence. Most commonly it refers to the switching of two or more contiguous sounds, known as adjacent metathesis or local metathesis:...
at an early date, already in the Old English period, attested as early as AD 700 in the Lindisfarne Gospels
Lindisfarne Gospels
The Lindisfarne Gospels is an illuminated Latin manuscript of the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the British Library...
. The unmetathesized form disappears after AD 1000 and Middle English
Middle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
from about 1200 has briht universally.
Names containing berht
There is no evidence of the berht element in Germanic personal names prior to the 6th century. It is mostly unknown in names of Goths, Vandals, Frisians or Norse, and only rarely occurs in names of Saxons. By contrast, it is very common among Anglo-Saxons, Lombards, Franks and Bavarians. The popularity of the element in certain areas may be related to religion, similar to the wolf element being due to the worship of WodanazWodanaz
or is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of a god of Germanic paganism, known as in Norse mythology, in Old English, or in Old High German and in Lombardic...
, the names with berht can be considered theophoric, in connection with the goddess Perchta
Perchta
Perchta or Berchta , also commonly known as Percht and other variations, was once known as a goddess in Southern Germanic paganism in the Alpine countries...
. The full form of Old High German beraht is reduced in two ways, by omission of either the second (berht, perht, pert) or the first vowel (braht, praht, brat, prat, brecht). Early attestations of such names include Ethberictus, Garberictus, and Transberictus mentioned in Hontheim
Johann Nikolaus von Hontheim
Johann Nikolaus von Hontheim was a German historian and theologian. He is remembered as Febronius, the pseudonym under which he wrote his 1763 treatise On the State of the Church and the Legitimate Power of the Roman Pontiff which offered Europe the "foremost formulation of the arguments against...
's Historia Trevirensis s. a. 699. Pardessus
Jean Marie Pardessus
Jean Marie Pardessus , was a French lawyer.He was born at Blois, and educated by the Oratorians, then studied law, at first under his father, a lawyer at the Presidial, who was a pupil of Robert Joseph Pothier. In 1796, after the Reign of Terror, Pardessus married, but his wife died after three years...
' Diplomata s. a. 745 has Berdbert as a rare example of a reduplicated Germanic name. Förstemann counts 369 names with final -bert(a), of which 61 are feminine.
Given names that remain in modern use include:
- names with -bert as final element
- Albert, CuthbertCuthbert- People :*Cuthbert , Anglo-Saxon saint, bishop, monk and hermit*Cuthbert of Canterbury , Archbishop of Canterbury*Cuthbert Bardsley , Anglican Bishop of Coventry*Cuthbert Brodrick , British architect...
, DogbertDogbertDogbert is Dilbert's anthropomorphic pet talking dog from the Dilbert comic strip. According to creator Scott Adams, the character is being based on, if not a member of, the beagle breed.-Characterization:...
, DagobertDagobertDagobert is a male given name, from Gaulish dago "good" and Old Frankish berath "bright".- People :* Dagobert , part of the Carl Christopher/Christoffersson Springer Hoax* Dagobert I , Frankish King...
, DilbertDilbertDilbert is an American comic strip written and drawn by Scott Adams. First published on April 16, 1989, Dilbert is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office featuring the engineer Dilbert as the title character...
, Elbert, Egbert, Engelbert, Ethelbert, FilbertFilbert (disambiguation)Filbert can mean the following:*Corylus maxima, a species of hazel nut*Filbert is an alternate name for a Hazelnut*Filbert, South Carolina*Filbert, West Virginia*Filburt, a character of the TV show Rocko's Modern Life...
, Gerbert, GilbertGilbert (given name)Gilbert is a British Isles given name of Norman-French and Old German origins. Original spellings included Gislebert, Guilbert and Gilebert. The prefix, "Gil-", comes from "gisil", meaning a noble youth, while the suffix, "-bert" comes from "beraht", meaning bright or famous...
, Herbert, HubertHubertHubert is a Germanic given name, from hug "mind" and beraht "bright".It also occurs as a surname, possibly derived from "Houber's son" or " of Heber" or simply "Heberite".people called Hubert...
, Humbert, Norbert, RobertRobertThe name Robert is a Germanic given name, from hrod "fame" and beraht "bright". It is also in use as a surname.After becoming widely used in Continental Europe it entered England in its Old French form Robert, where an Old English cognate form had existed before the Norman Conquest...
, TolbertTolbertTolbert is a surname, and may refer to:*Berlinda Tolbert , American film and television actress *Emanuel Tolbert , American professional football player...
- Albert, Cuthbert
- names with Bert- as first element
- Bertram, Berthold, BertrandBertrand (name)Bertrand is a given name and surname. In German, the name derives from berht and hramn or rand .People with the name include:- Given name :* Bertrand of Comminges , saint and Bishop of Comminges...
- Bertram, Berthold, Bertrand
Names abbreviated "Bert"
The following names are commonly abbreviated as "Bert":Albert/Adalbert,
Robert
Robert
The name Robert is a Germanic given name, from hrod "fame" and beraht "bright". It is also in use as a surname.After becoming widely used in Continental Europe it entered England in its Old French form Robert, where an Old English cognate form had existed before the Norman Conquest...
,
Berthold/Bertold
Bertrand
Bertrand (name)
Bertrand is a given name and surname. In German, the name derives from berht and hramn or rand .People with the name include:- Given name :* Bertrand of Comminges , saint and Bishop of Comminges...
/Bertram,
Herbert,
Norbert.
People called Bert
- Bert AddinallBert AddinallAlbert William "Bert" Addinall was an English professional footballer. He scored 92 goals from 222 games in the Football League playing for Queens Park Rangers and Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace as a centre forward....
(1921 – 2005), an English professional footballer. - Bert Brecht (Bertholt), 1898–1956, German dramatist. The surname Brecht incidentally has the same etymology.
- Bert KaempfertBert KaempfertBert Kaempfert was a German orchestra leader and songwriter. He made easy listening and jazz-oriented records, and wrote the music for a number of well-known songs, such as "Strangers in the Night" and "Spanish Eyes".-Biography:He was born in Hamburg, Germany - where he received his lifelong...
(Berthold), 1923–1980, German orchestra leader - Bert TrautmannBert TrautmannBernhard Carl "Bert" Trautmann, OBE is a German former professional footballer who played for Manchester City from 1949 to 1964. Brought up during times of inter-war strife in Germany, Trautmann joined the Luftwaffe early in the Second World War, serving as a paratrooper...
(Bernhard, properly "Bernd", and "Bert" only because English audiences had pronunciation difficulties with "Bernd"), b. 1923, football player - Bert NewtonBert NewtonAlbert Watson "Bert" Newton, AM, MBE is an Australian television personality, known for hosting television series such as In Melbourne Tonight, Good Morning Australia and 20 to 1. Newton has also hosted the Logie Awards on numerous occasions through his career.-Early life:Newton was born in...
(Albert), b. 1938, Australian entertainer - Bert SakmannBert Sakmann-External links:*...
(Bertold), b. 1942, winner of the 1991 Nobel Prize for Medicine - Bert BlylevenBert BlylevenBert Blyleven is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from to , and was best known for his curveball. Blyleven was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011...
(Aalbert), b.1951, former MLB pitcher - Bert KoendersBert KoendersAlbert Gerard "Bert" Koenders is a former Dutch politician. He was Minister for Development Cooperation of the Netherlands from 2007 until 2010...
(Albert), b. 1958, Dutch politician - Bert BosBert BosGijsbert Bos is a computer scientist. He studied mathematics at the University of Groningen, and wrote his PhD thesis on Rapid user interface development with the script language Gist....
, b. 1963, Dutch computer scientist working for W3C - Bert McCrackenBert McCrackenRobert Edward "Bert" McCracken is the lead singer and songwriter of the American alternative rock band The Used.-Biography:McCracken was born in Provo but grew up in Orem, Utah, USA, and was raised in a Mormon family...
(Robert), b. 1982, lead singer of alternative band The Used
Fictional characters
- Bert the policeman, a character played by Ward BondWard BondWardell Edwin "Ward" Bond was an American film actor whose rugged appearance and easygoing charm were featured in over 200 movies and the television series Wagon Train.-Early life:...
in the film It's a Wonderful LifeIt's a Wonderful LifeIt's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern....
. - Bert (Sesame Street), a Muppet character (of Bert and ErnieBert and ErnieBert and Ernie are two muppets on the popular U.S. children's television show Sesame Street. The two appear together in numerous skits, forming a comic duo that is one of the centerpieces of the program. Originated by Frank Oz and Jim Henson, the characters are currently performed by Muppeteers...
) on PBS' long-running children's television show Sesame Street - Bert Ljung, a fictional character in the Bert diaries
- Bert (Mary Poppins), a CockneyCockneyThe term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
chimney sweepChimney sweepA chimney sweep is a worker who clears ash and soot from chimneys. The chimney uses the pressure difference caused by a hot column of gas to create a draught and draw air over the hot coals or wood enabling continued combustion. Chimneys may be straight or contain many changes of direction. During...
in the book series & Disney film Mary Poppins - Bert Raccoon, a lead character in TV series The RaccoonsThe RaccoonsThe Raccoons is a Canadian animated television series which was originally broadcast from 1985 to 1991 with four preceding television specials beginning in 1980. The series was created by Kevin Gillis, and produced at Atkinson Film-Arts first-hand from 1984 to 1985, then at Hinton Animation Studios...
.
The Bert Game
- A phenomenon growing in popularity in Northeastern America where the name "bert" is texted or posted on a friend's facebook. Other variations include sending pictures of famous people named Bert, such as Bert Reynolds, to their friends as a joke. The origins of the game are unknown, but it is in the genre of anti-humor.
See also
- Bert (disambiguation)Bert (disambiguation)Bert is a hypocoristic form of a number of Germanic male given name, such as Robert and Albert.There is a large number of Germanic names ending in -bert, second in number only to those ending in -wolf...
, includes BERT - Bart (disambiguation)Bart (disambiguation)-Given names:As a given name Bart is a diminutive of Bartholomew and may refer to:*Bart Berman , Dutch-Israeli pianist and composer*Bart Bok , Dutch-American astronomer*Bart D...
- Berth (disambiguation)
- Birt (disambiguation)
- Burt (disambiguation)