English

Proper noun

Herbert

1. A male given name. In modern use partly transferred back from the surname.
   • 1989 David Leavitt: Equal Affections. ISBN 0-670-821977 page 215:

     Herbert, Sydney, Milton, Seymour. You know, all the time I was growing up I thought those were the most ordinary Jewish first names, until someone pointed out that they were British last names. I guess to my great-grandparents those names must have sounded so modern, so sophisticated, so - non-Eastern European. And now they're just Uncle Miltie, Uncle Sy, Uncle Herb. Do other people have Uncle Donne and Uncle Wordsworth?

2. A patronymic surname​.
   • ~1593 William Shakespeare: Richard III: Act V, Scene III:

     And you, Sir Walter Herbert, stay with me.

Related terms

• diminutives: Herb, Herbie, Bert.

Quotations

• For usage examples of this term, see Citations:Herbert.

Translations

Czech

Proper noun

Herbert m

1. A male given name, cognate to English Herbert.

Faroese

Proper noun

Herbert m

1. A male given name.

Usage notes

• son of Herbert: Herbertsson
• daughter of Herbert: Herbertsdóttir

Declension

German

Etymology

From Old High German heri ‎(“army”) + beraht ‎(“bright”).

Proper noun

Herbert m ‎(genitive Herberts)

1. A male given name.

See also

• Helibert
• Heribert

Old French

Etymology

From Frankish *Hari-bercht. See Saint Herbert.

Proper noun

Herbert m ‎(nominative singular Herberz)

1. A male given name.

Swedish

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ært

Proper noun

Herbert

1. A male given name, cognate to English Herbert.

English

Noun

herbert ‎(plural herberts)

1. (slang, punk subculture) A working-class youth.
   • 2000, John King, Human punk

     ...everything was busy now with the usual mix of herberts, and because this was Brunel University there was a lot of students, the sort who wouldn't normally go see a punk band...

   • 2007, Bobby Smith, Margaret Oshindele-Smith, One Love Two Colours

     Because of my appearance, I was accosted by a couple of spotty herberts on the way...

   • 2007, Paul Marko, The Roxy London WC2: A Punk History

     I was a proto-hippy in '66 - '67 and by about August '67 the bandwagon jumpers, the media and all manner of assorted herberts had turned up to spoil everything.