Bertram - Origin and Meaning of the name

[ 2 syll. ber-tram, be-rtr-am ] The boy name Bertram is pronounced as BERTRahM ^KEY. Bertram is used chiefly in the English and German languages, and its origin is Germanic. Bertram's meaning is bright raven, wise person. Derived from the elements 'berht' meaning bright, famous ; 'hramn' meaning raven. Berahthraban (Germanic) is an original form of Bertram. The 'raven' in the name is symbolic of wisdom in Germanic mythology. Odin, the chief god in Norse paganism, was often depicted with ravens called Hugin and Munin. The name was introduced to English speakers during the Norman Conquest, and was fairly popular in the Middle Ages. The name was in medieval times taken as the original form of the French Bertrand. In literature, the name appeared as the Count of Roussillon in Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well (1603-1604). The name saw a revival in the 19th century.

Bartram (English), Beltrán (Spanish), Berton (English), Bertrand (English, French, and German), Bertrem (English), and Bertrum (English) are variants of Bertram. Bart (Dutch pet form), Bertie (English pet form), and Bert (Dutch, English, and German short form) are other variants of Bertram.

Bertram is uncommon as a baby name for boys. At the height of its usage in 1911, 0.022% of baby boys were given the name Bertram. It ranked at #394 then. The baby name has since dropped out of favor, and is today of very modest use. Within all boy names in its group, Bertram was nonetheless the most popular in 2007.

Baby names that sound like Bertram include Bertrum (English), Bartram (English), and Bertrem (English).

^KEY: Pronunciation for Bertram: B as in "be (B.IY)" ; ER as in "hurt (HH.ER.T)" ; T as in "tea (T.IY)" ; R as in "read (R.IY.D)" ; AH as in "hut (HH.AH.T)" ; M as in "me (M.IY)"

Popularity Trend
for Bertram
from 1900 to 2007

Variant Popularity Chart
for Bertram
in 2007