Robert

The Weird, Simple Meaning Behind My Historically Noble Name

By Robert Hwang

Robert is a name meant for royalty and nobility. In the 13th century, it gained popularity, and its German origins trace it back to Hrodebert. According to an article from Verywell Family, “Hrod” means fame and “Beraht” means bright, combining to mean “bright fame.” This is fitting since many European kings and nobles used to be named Robert. Its popularity lasted for centuries as people named their kids after leaders, but since 2000, Robert is gradually declining in popularity (The Bump). But, this is a European background of the name, one that my dad did not even know when naming me. He grew up in post-war South Korea. The war-torn country and crippled economy meant commoners like his family were extremely poor, and they often struggled to have foods we take for granted today, like strawberries. Instead, they depended on rice, the most fundamental Asian food, and when he was deciding my name decades later, he thought of rice, bap in Korean. Realizing this sounded similar to the nickname Bob, he named me Robert. He was unaware that he named me after European nobility, and that’s how I ended up with a declining white baby boy’s name as an Asian. When I first heard of my naming process, I was surprised because I doubt it’s common at all to name babies after foods in a foreign language. When I reflect on it, though, I can’t help but feel like he put a lot more thought into it than many other parents, which makes me feel important. I have a name that is a stretch, but it means something that sustained my dad and his family during the hardest years of their lives. So, I like to think that, instead of bright fame, Robert means I can overcome challenges, strongly support others, and benefit a large number of people, because that’s what rice did for my dad and millions of Koreans in their history of poverty. This is how my dad used a noble European name to mean something weird, but important and personal.