Thirty years of Robert
Robert in numbers
Robert peaked in 1996 with 2,644 boys and has fallen since, to 310 in 2025. Its biggest three-year fall came between 1996 and 1999, from 2,644 to 1,853. It ranked 30th in 1996 and ranks 164th now. On average it was given to 2,225 boys a year in the late 1990s, 1,053 in the 2000s, 614 in the 2010s and 367 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year-9%340 to 310
- 5 years-29%439 to 310
- 10 years-49%605 to 310
- 20 years-67%938 to 310
- Since 1996-88%2,644 to 310
- Total, 1996 to 202527,772boys
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 164 · ONS · 340 in 2024
Rank 86 · NRS · 64 in 2024
Rank 114 · NISRA · 25 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 164 | 310 | -9% | 1 in 970 |
| 2024 | 151 | 340 | -5% | 1 in 897 |
| 2023 | 147 | 359 | -1% | 1 in 844 |
| 2022 | 148 | 362 | -8% | 1 in 858 |
| 2021 | 144 | 394 | -10% | 1 in 812 |
| 2020 | 125 | 439 | -14% | 1 in 716 |
| 2019 | 115 | 511 | +1% | 1 in 644 |
| 2018 | 117 | 507 | -11% | 1 in 666 |
| 2017 | 111 | 569 | -5% | 1 in 612 |
| 2016 * | 109 | 597 | -1% | 1 in 596 |
| 2015 | 105 | 605 | -4% | 1 in 592 |
| 2014 | 96 | 631 | -2% | 1 in 565 |
| 2013 | 98 | 645 | -2% | 1 in 556 |
| 2012 | 96 | 660 | -5% | 1 in 567 |
| 2011 | 93 | 694 | -4% | 1 in 535 |
| 2010 | 90 | 721 | +0% | 1 in 514 |
| 2009 | 91 | 719 | -6% | 1 in 504 |
| 2008 | =89 | 764 | -8% | 1 in 475 |
| 2007 | 84 | 831 | -7% | 1 in 427 |
| 2006 | 75 | 890 | -5% | 1 in 385 |
| 2005 | 73 | 938 | -11% | 1 in 352 |
| 2004 | 60 | 1,049 | -0% | 1 in 313 |
| 2003 | 60 | 1,054 | -15% | 1 in 302 |
| 2002 | 50 | 1,244 | -12% | 1 in 246 |
| 2001 | 47 | 1,421 | -12% | 1 in 214 |
| 2000 | 41 | 1,619 | -13% | 1 in 191 |
| 1999 | 39 | 1,853 | -13% | 1 in 172 |
| 1998 | 37 | 2,121 | -7% | 1 in 154 |
| 1997 | 34 | 2,281 | -14% | 1 in 144 |
| 1996 | 30 | 2,644 | 1 in 126 |
* ONS’s boys’ 2016 file repeats the October total as September, so the 2016 births total is about 932 too low and 1 in X for 2016 is slightly too low. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Robert
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Robert is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate