Robert Kidwell

(male) One of the many French names of Germanic origin that were introduced into Britain by the Normans; it has since remained in continuous use. It is derived from the nearly synonymous elements hrōd ‘fame’ + berht ‘bright, famous’, and had a native Old English predecessor of similar form (Hreodbeorht), which was supplanted by the Norman name. Two dukes of Normandy in the 11th century bore the name: the father of William the Conqueror (sometimes identified with the legendary Robert the Devil), and his eldest son. It was borne also by three kings of Scotland, notably Robert the Bruce (1274–1329), who freed Scotland from English domination. The altered short form Bob is very common, but Hob and Dob, which were common in the Middle Ages and gave rise to surnames, are extinct. See also Rupert.

English: possibly a habitational name from Kiddal in Barwick in Elmet, West Yorkshire, which is probably so named from the Old English personal name Cydda + Old English halh ‘nook or corner of land’. However, the surname occurs predominantly in Devon, suggesting another, unidentified source may be involved. Alternatively, it could be a variant of Kiddle, a topographic name for someone living by (or making his living from) a fish weir, Middle English kidel (Old French cuidel, quidel, a word of Breton origin).