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Bert (name)
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<p>Bert is a <a href="/facts/Hypocoristic/2RJ0IBx8">hypocoristic</a> form of a number of various <a href="/facts/Germanic_name/JMaDNrJm">Germanic male given names</a>, such as <a href="/facts/Robert/hFycfzt5">Robert</a>, <a href="/facts/Albert_(given_name)/t9w50V1G">Albert</a>, <a href="/facts/Elbert_(disambiguation)/Esb72yWL">Elbert</a>, <a href="/facts/Herbert_(given_name)/x1Uy4HSd">Herbert</a>, <a href="/facts/Hilbert_(name)/MEB3dlYx">Hilbert</a>, <a href="/facts/Hubert/GFkpFrLJ">Hubert</a>, <a href="/facts/Gilbert_(given_name)/KuAXvY6e">Gilbert</a>, <a href="/facts/Wilbert_(disambiguation)/kejMv4Cc">Wilbert</a>, <a href="/facts/Filbert_(disambiguation)/c8B103JG">Filbert</a>, <a href="/facts/Fulbert/wWqCJLPE">Fulbert</a>, <a href="/facts/Norbert/VqPMXtpc">Norbert</a>, <a href="/facts/Osbert/tGwPmVIl">Osbert</a>, <a href="/facts/Roberto/hFycfzt5">Roberto</a>, <a href="/facts/Roberta_(given_name)/hmufP6uE">Roberta</a>, <a href="/facts/Bertram_(name)/X0bICRq5">Bertram</a>, <a href="/facts/Berthold_(disambiguation)/4jUHwFd1">Berthold</a>, <a href="/facts/Bertrand_(name)/LBRfTYTm">Bertrand</a>, <a href="/facts/Umberto/NKo2b9Ch">Umberto</a>, <a href="/facts/Humbert/pPsjWBMS">Humbert</a>, <a href="/facts/Humberto/yw90fNul">Humberto</a>, <a href="/facts/Alberto/6SbTCwsI">Alberto</a>, <a href="/facts/Alberta_(given_name)/RxnyKRFS">Alberta</a>, <a href="/facts/Albertine_(disambiguation)/byU4hDdb">Albertine</a>, <a href="/facts/Albertina/SwYHAs19">Albertina</a>, <a href="/facts/Cuthbert_(disambiguation)/1jzSmV30">Cuthbert</a>, <a href="/facts/Delbert/cy6374Vv">Delbert</a>, <a href="/facts/Dagobert/6k79o3Kw">Dagobert</a>, <a href="/facts/Rimbert/zv4YhaXt">Rimbert</a>, <a href="/facts/Egbert/vYVL3cza">Egbert</a>, <a href="/facts/Siegbert/WICllm95">Siegbert</a>, <a href="/facts/Gualbert/xCS1Ivm7">Gualbert</a>, <a href="/facts/Gerbert_(disambiguation)/vJLeRnoG">Gerbert</a>, <a href="/facts/Lambert_(name)/thBk6QfA">Lambert</a>, <a href="/facts/Engelbert_(name)/DdCqWLlI">Engelbert</a>, <a href="/facts/Bertie_(given_name)/Kq353l1a">Bertie</a>, <a href="/facts/Uberto/X87mpwK1">Uberto</a> and <a href="/facts/Colbert_(name)/4FIhejNr">Colbert</a>. </p><p>There is a large number of Germanic names ending in <i>-bert</i>, second in number only to those ending in <i>-wolf</i> (<i>-olf</i>, <i>-ulf</i>). Most of these names are early medieval and only a comparatively small fraction remains in modern use. </p><p>The element <i>-berht</i> has the meaning of "<a href="/facts/Brightness/e93R5I4b">bright</a>", Old English <i>beorht/berht</i>, Old High German <i>beraht/bereht</i>, ultimately from a <a href="/facts/Common_Germanic/LJrKRx5A">Common Germanic</a> *<i>berhtaz</i>, from a <a href="/facts/PIE/cVLNoM3p">PIE</a> root *<i>bhereg-</i> "white, bright". The female hypocoristic of names containing the same element is <a href="/facts/Berta_(disambiguation)/X5MW5JtD">Berta</a>. </p><p>Modern English bright itself has the same etymology, but it has suffered <a href="/facts/Metathesis_(linguistics)/qPNPuQW1">metathesis</a> at an early date, already in the Old English period, attested as early as AD 700 in the <a href="/facts/Lindisfarne_Gospels/qUoEoqX8">Lindisfarne Gospels</a>. The unmetathesized form disappears after AD 1000 and <a href="/facts/Middle_English/dj1wHvwd">Middle English</a> from about 1200 has <i>briht</i> universally. </p>