(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.
Short forms: Bob, Rob.
Pet forms: Bobby, Robbie, Robin.
Cognates: Irish: Roibéard. Scottish Gaelic: Raibeart. German: Robert, Rupprecht. Dutch: Robrecht, Rob(b)ert. Scandinavian: Robert. French: Robert. Spanish, Portuguese, Italian: Roberto. Czech: Robert. Finnish: Roopertti. Hungarian: Róbert. Latvian: Roberts.
English and Scottish: occupational name for a stonemason, Middle English, Old French mas(s)on. Compare Machen. Stonemasonry was a hugely important craft in the Middle Ages.
Italian (Veneto): from a short form of Masone.
French: from a regional variant of maison ‘house’.
FOREBEARS George Mason (1725–92), the American colonial statesman who framed the VA Bill of Rights and Constitution, which was used as a model by Thomas Jefferson when drafting the Declaration of Independence, was a VA planter, fourth in descent from George Mason (?1629–?86), a royalist soldier of the English Civil War who had received land grants in VA. As well as being prominent in the affairs of VA, the family also produced the first governor of MI. Two other families of this name were among the early English settlers in America. John Mason (1586–1635) was born in King's Lynn, Norfolk, became governor of Newfoundland in 1615, and was one of the founders of NH. His namesake, John Mason (?1600–72), emigrated before 1633 and was one of the founders of Norwich, CT.
