BS: -bert

Subject: BS: whence -bert
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 03:35 PM

Lately I have been musing on names that end in bert. I've tried to find out what the ending bert means, but without success. Not that I've tried hard, mind you.

I've been reading a book about Chartres cathedral. An abbot named Fulbert was important to Chartres, so that gives me an F-bert for my collection. Then I read that Gerbert of Aurillac studied dialectics at Reims, so that provides a coveted G-bert.

So far I have

Albert
Bobert
Cuthbert
Delbert
Egbert
Fulbert
Gerbert
Herbert
I
J
K
L
M
Norbert
Osbert
P
Q
Robert
Sherbert (just kidding!)
T
U
V
Wilbert
X
Y
Z

Do you suppose that bert is related to 'person'?

I've always thought of bert names as Germanic, but there are so many Berts in the book about Chartres that I'm beginning to wonder.

What do you think?

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: fat B****rd
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 03:39 PM

Lambert ??

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Will Fly
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 03:41 PM

Probert (Welsh surname)...

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Melissa
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 03:44 PM

Q-bert seemed like a fun arcade game in the 80s

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: bobad
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 03:50 PM

From Wikipedia

Bert is a short form of numerous male Germanic forenames such as Adalbert, Albert, Berthold, Bertrand, Bertram, Herbert, Humbert and Robert, and originally means "bright". It also occurs in many surnames, some used as both a surname and a forename.

List of names there also.

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Becca72
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 03:56 PM

-bert names

Does this help?

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Rapparee
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 04:21 PM

Dilbert
Dogbert
Mombert
Ratbert
Catbert

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 04:28 PM

Perbert

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: PoppaGator
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 04:54 PM

Raaire, you beat me to the punch there.

Did you notice that leeneia's original list included a "Delbert," but not the great comic-strip antihero "Dilbert"?

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: peregrina
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 04:54 PM

In Old English, the -bert or -berht suffix comes from beorht; meaning bright, as bobad says; on the continent it was mainly spelled -bert, and in Bavaria, written and pronounced -pert

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Bill D
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 05:35 PM

except.... Bobert doesn't fit...

It ain't Bo-bert....it's BOB-ert


*hunkering down in corner*

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Bobert
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 05:40 PM

Danged... Beezer, I was gonna do "Perbert"...

As for BOBert v BObert, Bill, the UKers who I have met tend to do BObert and the Mericans and Canups its BOBert...

To the P-vine it's "Lover Boybert"... lol...

To my crew it's Bossbert...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 06:00 PM

Wasn't the Addams family baby called Pubert?

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 07:30 PM

Subert, Hardibert, Etcbert. All related to Bert.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: katlaughing
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 07:38 PM

Don't forget Inglebert Humperdinck!:-)

Surely some idjit might've named their kid "Extrobert?"**bg**

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 07:42 PM

Eng, not Ing, KatBert.

**BG**

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 07:43 PM

PS the calendar's got it, too-- Octobert, Novembert, Decembert, Januarybert.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 11:04 PM

And what about Bert himself (of the never-ending credit card in the Mudcat Tavern)?

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: maire-aine
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 11:20 PM

My dad was Albert, and his brother was Gilbert.

M

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: katlaughing
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 12:14 AM

Has anyone mentioned Dilbert?

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Cluin
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 01:32 AM

Or Filbert?

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Ernest
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 01:51 AM

With all those original characters here like Chongo, Shane etc. I am still wondering why no one came up with....

...Mudbert

;0)
Ernestbert

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Ernest
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 07:18 AM

We also need an X-bert to come up with an xpertise on Bertism and all its variations....

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Bill D
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 11:18 AM

There wwere several English kings named Ethelbert back in the Middle ages

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: frogprince
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 11:20 AM

Gilbert sang mighty fine

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 11:24 AM

Thanks for all those observations. It's fun just to maunder on, sometimes.

Fat B, thanks for 'Lambert.' I hadn't thought of that one. It takes care of another letter. There could be a music-hall type song in this. 'Mrs. Smith had twenty-one sons, each one nicknamed Bert.'

Liz, I was saving 'Pubert' for a second post, but you beat me to it.

Wysi are 'Subert, Hardibert, Etcbert' actually names you have seen or were you just making a joke? I have a hard time believing in Etcbert.

Come to think of it, the surname Schubert fills in the blank for S.

Bill D, I almost agree with you about Bobert, but I assume that Bobert started with Robert, so his nickname qualifies. Perhaps he should spell it Bobbert. Bobert, what do you say?

I came across another -bert in the book about Chartres -- a French king call Hildebert. I seem to recall a Dagobert and an Ethelbert from history. (no relationship to Chartres)

It's funny that I never thought of Dilbert et al. That's because when I composed my mental list of -berts, I was inclined toward the old-fashioned. The comic pages never entered my mind.

Bobad, thanks for the word that -bert means 'bright.' I never woulda thunk it. I thought it meant something like 'male person.'

From what peregrina says about Bavaria, we can add Rupert to the list.

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: David C. Carter
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 11:34 AM

We should all have a bertday once a year!

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: wysiwyg
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 12:21 PM

I was jes' funnin' witcha.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 08:56 PM

'We should all have a bertday once a year!'

That's a splendid idea, David. We could look up saints that end in bert and have a party on their day, or one could have a bertday 6 months after one's birthday.

Either way, chocolate and music making should be part of the day.

Wysi - okay.

One thing that surprises me is that no one has come up with a -bert that starts with J. J, it seems to me, is unusually popular for names. The J section of the dictionary is rather small, but the J section of my personal phone book is very large. John, Jean, Joan, Janet, Judith, Jill...

Naturally there is no X-bert. I don't think of X as a truly a letter. It's just something that was borrowed to accommodate foreign words.

Same for Q.

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: wysiwyg
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 11:06 PM

Jalabert. (French surname.)

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: peregrina
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 04:37 AM

There's no etc.bert (etceterabert--the name for a collectivity of -berts?) attested until now, but there is a name Egbert and there was once Ecgbert (pronounced edgebert)

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 11:04 AM

It's true there's an Egbert. As a little child I was forced to sing a twee song called 'Egbert the Easter Egg'.

No offense, Wysi, but I had to check out your 'Jalabert.' You're right.

'Laurent Jalabert (born November 30, 1968 in Mazamet) is a French former professional road racing cyclist...'

So that gives us one more letter. Now how about K and M?

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: GUEST,crazy little woman
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 11:07 AM

I've found a P:

H. Philbert, M.A. and Kopelman, R. (2007). Ultrafine hydrogel nanoparticles: synthetic approach and therapeutic application in living cells

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 11:31 AM

Camembert
Alibert
Tarbert

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 11:52 AM

Rambert [Ballet company]

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 08:29 PM

You beat me to it, John. I thought of Camembert while driving to the grovery store.

Where did you encounter Alibert and Tarbert?

I've came across a U - Umberto.

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Bert
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 10:15 PM

Leenia started this thread just so that she could say

...'We should all have a bertday once a year!'...

So name your day Leenia, and form a line all the rest of you Mudcat beauties, there are 364 days left.

I'm an Albert, named after my Dad.

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 05:53 AM

Alibert
Allibert
Tarbert

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 07:33 AM

Umbert the unborn

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Mr Happy
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 07:45 AM

The Welsh name 'Probert' mentioned above is an Anglicised corruption of the Welsh patronym 'Ap' meaning 'son of' or 'belonging to' - like 'Mc, Mac' in Scots, 'O'' in Irish'

It formerly would've been 'Ap Robert'

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 09:18 AM

My Dad & Grandad were both Herberts (insert own joke!). Tho' Dad always known by his second name, Ivor, to avoid confusion. If Mom called him Herbert he knew he was in trouble!

Rogbert the Rogue

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 11:13 AM

Oh, for heaven's sake! For some reason I thought 'Probert' was a joke. Ap Robert, of course. This means we have a true P, and not just a Ph (Philbert).

I figure Dr. Philbert (mentioned above) used to be Filbert, but he got tired of jokes where people called him a nut.

John, thanks for the link to Alibert. But I don't think Tarbert qualifies. Isn't that Gaelic for 'little town'? I've been to a Tarbe(r)t, on the Isle of Lewis.

On the other hand, it is a name that ends in -bert, no matter what the etymology. And it gives us a coveted T name. We'll keep it.

In Milwaukee there's a St. Adelbert parish. This may be related to the German edel (noble), from which we get Ethel.

I am now going out of town till Sunday. So if you don't hear from me, that's why.

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 10 Aug 09 - 12:43 PM

Months have passed and I've found another -bert. Lubbert.

Interesting story. I have been reading mystery novels by Michael Connolly. Actually, I can't put them down.

One of his characters is a police detective named Hieronymus Bosch, like the old Dutch painter. In one of the novels, a painting by Bosch is featured. That painting has a character in it named Lubbert.

You can see the painting (which like most of Bosch's, is icky) and read about it at this site:

http://www.all-art.org/early_renaissance/bosch4.html

If you ever have a son, don't name him Lubbert.
========
While reading a book about French churches, I came across this:

"In 1501 the 21-year-old Marguerite of Austria married her third husband, Philibert, who was surnamed le Beau on account of his charm."

Imagine being on your third husband while only 21. And the third husband, Philibert, only lived three more years. Truly, being rich isn't everything.

His name, however, gives us a Ph- which is not suspiciously a Filbert in disguise.

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 10 Aug 09 - 01:08 PM

Leeneia, most of northern what-is-now-France was occupied from at least late Roman times up until Medieval times by Germanic tribes, so the -bert element from Germanic speech is quite natural there.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: MartinRyan
Date: 10 Aug 09 - 03:39 PM

All male names?

Regards

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 10 Aug 09 - 11:06 PM

Yes, they've all been male names so far, Martin. Apparently when it's feminine, an a is added, as in Roberta.

Thanks for the info on the Germanic tribes, Uncle Dave O.

We still don't have an S or a T. I don't count Tarbert, which means 'little town'.

if -bert means bright, does Schubert means 'bright shoe?' It could happen, I suppose, but it seems ridiculous.

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: GUEST,crazy little woman
Date: 10 Aug 09 - 11:12 PM

Just on the off chance, I googled Theobert, cause theo- is so common in old names. Turns out there is such a name. Read about it here:

http://names.whitepages.com/first/Theobert

(Interesting that most are in Louisiana. Is it Cajun, do you suppose?)


In my opinion, naming your kid 'bright god' is asking for trouble.

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Neil D
Date: 10 Aug 09 - 11:20 PM

The hit man played by Max van Sydow in "Three Days of the Condor" bore the name Joubert. I believe it was his last name and it was pronounced Zho-Bear.

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: SharonA
Date: 11 Aug 09 - 03:58 AM

Z-bert -- donkey-like African animal with black-and-white stripes.

J-bert -- loud, aggressive blue-and-white bird with crested head.

Sherbert -- misspelling of a frozen dessert similar to sorbet but with a small amount of milkfat. Properly spelled "sherbet".


...But seriously, folks... Leeneia, could you please post an updated A-Z list (similar to the one in your first post) so we can see all the real names at-a-glance? Thanks!

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 11 Aug 09 - 06:46 AM

Imbert 1
Imbert 2

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Mr Happy
Date: 11 Aug 09 - 08:43 AM

Englebert?

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 11 Aug 09 - 10:40 AM

Thanks for the I - bert, John MacKenzie. We're getting there.

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 11 Aug 09 - 11:03 AM

Here they all are. A few are surnames, but does that really matter? One is a cheese.


Albert, Adelbert

Bobert :)

Cuthbert, Camembert

Delbert, Dilbert, Dagobert

Egbert, Engelbert, Ecgbert

Fulbert, Filbert

Gerbert, Gilbert

Herbert, Hildebert,Humbert

Imbert

Jalabert, Joubert

K

Lambert, Lubbert

M

Norbert

Osbert

Philbert, Philibert, Probert

Q

Robert, Rupert (Bavarian form)

Schubert

Theobert

Umbert, Umberto

V

Wilbert

X
Y
Z
=========
I find the missing M and K names baffling. These are popular letters in German today. X, Y and Z - not so much, though Z is used today.

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 11 Aug 09 - 03:21 PM

Kimbert

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: catspaw49
Date: 11 Aug 09 - 06:19 PM

Here's one of my favorite Berts and he sells gasoline.

BTW, the guys doing that one are part of a long running local band called McGuffey Lane. They have a huge local following in Columbus and around the state but they never hit the bigtime......and its a shame....They're damn good!

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 12 Aug 09 - 10:46 AM

Thanks for 'Kimbert,' John. However did you find him? Little does an aspiring young banker realize he has brought joy to the Mudcat.

Spaw, thanks for the link. I enjoyed the music. Great guys. Love the red hair.

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 12 Aug 09 - 11:43 AM

Then there's Ernie's buddy, Bert.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 12 Aug 09 - 12:37 PM

Mobert
Oh this is fun

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 12 Aug 09 - 12:40 PM

Now look here X-Bert
Cheating or what

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 12 Aug 09 - 12:43 PM

On a roll today Youbert

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 12 Aug 09 - 12:45 PM

Keep finding them Zambert

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 12 Aug 09 - 12:47 PM

Vibert

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 12 Aug 09 - 12:50 PM

Does this make a full set? Quibert

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 12 Aug 09 - 01:55 PM

I had a moment of brilliance (scarcity) or insanity and googled Spawbert.

Results 5, 1st two were Mudcat threads that listed names Spaw, bert.

The last three hits show there is a someone(s) posting under the name

spawbert at DUCO.com

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 12 Aug 09 - 09:38 PM

This is incredible. I never thought I'd get a Q.

My husband recalled that there is a station on the Paris metro named Maubert Mutualite. Presumably there was a notable person named Maubert at one time.

He also found a reference in Oxford's French Studies to '...Lettres Iroquoises attributed to Maubert de Gouvest.' So now we have two M's, Mobert and Maubert.

Zambert. I'm sorry to say, remains dubious, for Zambert's web page says 'Publié par franck Isambert.' So is he an I or a Z?

Also, if we wish to be purists, we are missing a B, because Bobert is not a genuine name.

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 13 Aug 09 - 07:44 AM

There's a Ted Zambert on Facebook, but not everybody can view that, so didn't link it. Several other Zambert's come up on Google though

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 13 Aug 09 - 05:19 PM

What a relief! Thanks, John.

I am beginning to doubt that 'bert' is a Germanic root meaning 'bright.' Take the name Robert, for example. If bert is bright, what's Ro? This is one of the best-loved names in our tongue, and we don't know what it means. Is that likely?

And then there are all the French names, even Italian, in the collection. And I've just come across a Mexican name, Digoberto. What's that supposed to be, 'bright finger?'

And then there's the medieval 'Phiiibert,' a combination of the Greek love (phil) with the German bert, (bright). Love-bright? What sort of name is that? It's cobbled together from roots hundreds of miles and many centuries apart. How likely is that?

I suspect that -bert is a root from a forgotten tongue and it means 'guy, chap, fellow or dude.' Probably when somebody had a baby boy in the middle ages and they weren't very excited about it, they called him Bert. After that, the idea stuck.

I'm beginning to think that the judges should allow X-bert. The people who invented it probably think of it as almost a person, like R2D2.

Still looking for a B.

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Sorcha
Date: 13 Aug 09 - 06:09 PM

OK, I posted this as Guest the other day and it got deleted...and it's a DOGS name...but it IS an X

        BEARDED COLLIE         NO-NONSENSE'S XIEBERT

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 13 Aug 09 - 06:34 PM

Bombert

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 14 Aug 09 - 08:14 AM

..and only a nut would like to be called Filbert.

RtS
(I'll go back into my shell)

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 14 Aug 09 - 08:48 AM

You Are hereby promoted to Kernel RtS

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: SharonA
Date: 14 Aug 09 - 08:53 AM

Xambert! Click here and scroll down to "music composer"

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: SharonA
Date: 14 Aug 09 - 09:13 AM

Vibbert -- scroll to last sentence of this article and several other references.

Yibbert -- see 3rd line of paragraph

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 14 Aug 09 - 10:03 AM

Hi, Sorcha. I too have found that posts I've made have not appeared. I doubt if they were deleted, as they were pretty bland. I dunno what's going on.

Thanks to Sorcha, John and Sharon, we have done it. Even X, Q, and B! Although, I suppose if we count just plain 'Bert,' we had it all along.

I'm beginning to feel sorry for those actors who called themselves Burt and have disconnected themselves from 1000 years of history.

Subject: BS: another bert
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 12:55 PM

Recently we linguophiles compiled a list of names ending in 'bert.' I believe we found a bert for every letter of the alphabet except X.

Now I can't find that thread, otherwise I would add this find to it. This name is even musical.

Last Sunday we had a harpist play for our church service. As a prelude she played a beautiful piece called 'Victme Paschali Laudes,' which is a Gregorian chant for Easter Sunday. While looking for the piece on the Internet, I found that it is attributed to a -bert, namely:


Wigbert of Burgundy
(?Solothurn, c.995; † c.1050)
As specified on Einsiedeln manuscript, c. XI

It's not often we touch base with someone born in 995.

There are videos on YouTube that play the piece. I think the nicest singing is on the one posted by 'bispofr.' (When you hear the organ on it, you will know why I fled the Cathedral of Notre Dame to get away from it.)

---

Threads combined. -Joebert-

Subject: RE: BS: another bert
From: bobad
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 01:14 PM

Here's the thread you were looking for CLICK

Subject: RE: BS: another bert
From: ClaireBear
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 01:37 PM

Wigbert ought to be a character in Dilbert.

Subject: RE: BS: another bert
From: SharonA
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 01:45 PM

Hmmm... In the Dilbert comic strip, Dogbert is a talking dog and Catbert is a talking cat. So, is Wigbert a talking wig?

(...and should there be a Toupeebert for the men? *grin*)

Subject: RE: BS: another bert
From: gnu
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 03:44 PM

So, is Wigbert a talking wig?

Yup... lives in the Penthouse on Donald Trump's head.

Subject: RE: BS: another bert
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 10:05 PM

Wigbert may seem comical, but it's better than Wipo. Wipo sounds like a cleaning product.

Bobad, thanks for the link.

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Noreen
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 10:50 PM

I don't count Tarbert, which means 'little town'. Huh?

Tarbert is the main port and capital village of Harris. Tarbert is a fairly common name across Scotland and, here as elsewhere, it comes from the Norse tairbeart meaning draw-boat. Tarbert lies on the shores of Loch Tarbert, and South Harris avoids becoming an island by just a few hundred yards of land over which the Vikings would drag their longboats into West Loch to avoid sailing around via the Sound of Harris.

Also:

Surname: Tarbert

Recorded in a wide number of spellings including Tarbarth, Tarbatt, Tarbert, Tarbet, Tarbett, Torbet, Torbett, Torbeck, Torbitt, Torbutt, Torbat, Turbat, Turbard, and others, this is an Anglo-Scottish surname of confused origins. If Scottish, or at least found in Scotland, it is (probably) locational and (probably) from Tarbart village in Eastor Ross, or from an estate known as the lands of Tarvit, within the parish of Cupar, Fifeshire, or from Torbreck, a place in the county of Sutherland, in the far north of the country. If and when the surname is found in England, it is probably not locational at all, but one of the numerous spellings which originate from the pre 9th century Norman-French name Turbert. This personal name was introduced into the British Isles after the Conquest of 1066. It has the original Norse elements (The Norman-French being of Norse origins, like so many of the later English and Scots!) elements of Thor meaning thunder, and -bert meaning bright. It was very popular, and first appears in the famous Domesday Book of 1086 as Tarbert of London, and Thurbert of Suffolk. The first recognizeable surname recording is probably that of the Latinized spelling of Gaufridus Torbertus, in the Curis Regis rolls of the county of Berkshire, England, in the year 1212, and later that of Thomas Torebat in the Hundred Rolls of Essex in 1279. The first recording in Scotland is probably that of Henry de Tarvethe in the homage lists of 1296, whilst John Tarbatt was a Notary Public in the city of Perth in 1421.

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 23 Sep 09 - 04:02 AM

All this about inability to find a -bert beginning with B reminds me of the nursery joke about the man who couldn't find his spectacles because they were oh is nose all the time —

BERT begins with a B, for heaven's sake...

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Monique
Date: 23 Sep 09 - 05:31 AM

Leeneia, this is a French site but the page is one of the 4 with males names ending in -bert. Btw, I read that "Philibert" came from "fili" = much, very (Cf German "viel") and "berht" = brilliant, illustrious.

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 23 Sep 09 - 12:48 PM

Okay, Noreen, we'll put Tarbert in, since people have adopted it as a surname. From your post we can now add Tarbert, Thurbert, Torbert, and Turbert.

Good observation, MtheGM. You are right in one sense, but Bert is still just a nickname.

Monique, thanks for the link. That's incredible! It evens puts to rest the issue of 'B' with Bebert and Byslbert. The explanation for Philibert sounds good, too.

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: Monique
Date: 23 Sep 09 - 02:25 PM

I really don't know what they accepted as names, but I've always known this "Bebert" as "Bébert" and it's a nickname for Albert or Robert -you couldn't really say it was a pet name, it would rather be the kind of nicknames their schoolmates or teammates would call them, not their moms at home. And I say "was" because not many babies are called those names nowadays (Albert, average age: 69.4, Robert, average age: 67)

Subject: RE: BS: -bert
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 24 Sep 09 - 12:13 PM

Thanks for the explanation, Monique. Even if we lost Bebert as a legitimate name, we still have Byslbert.

It's true that berts are out of fashion. However, I like early music and other things medieval, and it's interesting that the names go back almost 1000 years and cross many borders.