Lambert
Where Lambert comes from
From Middle English Lambert, from Old French Lambert, a saint's name (of a Bishop of Maastricht) brought to England by the Normans, from Proto-West Germanic *Landaberht, from *land (“land”) + *berht (“bright”). Cognate with Old English Landbeorht, Old High German Lantbërht, Dutch Lambrecht.
- Germanic
- 2 syllables
Along the way
- 1505Lambert Lombard bornFlemish painter
- 1881First appearance#595 among boys, 9 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
- 1900Peak, #55519 babies named Lambert — more than any year before or since.
- 1901The fadeThe first year with half the peak's births — down to #943.
- 1958Lambert Wilson bornFrench actor
In the dictionary
- A male given name from the Germanic languages; in modern use partly transferred back from the surname.
Namesakes
- Lambert Wilson · French actor, born 1958
- Lambert Lombard · Flemish painter, 1505–1566
- Lambert Simnel · Imposter-pretender to the throne of England, 1477–1535
- Lambert Hillyer · Film director, Screenwriter, 1893–1969
- Lambert II, Count of Louvain · Count of Leuven from 1033 to 1054, died 1054
Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.