Name of the Week

 

Fabulously medieval in style. It would not feel out of place 
around the Round Table of Camelot.

 

Origin:

From the Germanic name Berahthram, a compound of beraht 'bright' and hraben 'raven'. In Germanic folklore the raven was an animal associated with war, battle, death and victory. Ravens were used in kennings and skaldic poetry as a metaphor for war — to feed the raven, or to please the raven was to make war — and were often used as a symbol on shields and banners. More importantly, ravens were associated with the chief Germanic god Woden (equivalent to Odin in Norse mythology) who had two ravens, Huginn (thought) and Muninn (memory), that flew over the nine worlds every day and would return to tell Woden what they had seen. The significance of ravens can be seen in the many names that contained the "raven" element in Germanic, Norse, Old English and Celtic languages.

Usage:

Bertram was brought to Britain by the Normans in, or very soon after, 1066. Bertram de Verdun, for example, was a notable Norman landowner in Buckinghamshire and Somerset in 1086 (Lat: Bertrannus), and is thought to have been one of William's knights at the Battle of Hastings. The name's popularity can be attested by the several different forms that were used (Bartram, Bartrem, Bertran) — which survive as surnames Bertram, Bartrum, Bartram, Batram, Batrim and Bertin. The French form Bertrand was also used from the end of the 12th century, though less frequently. Bertram was used consistently from the 13th to the 16th century and was particularly popular in Northumberland from the 13th century onwards. The name became very fashionable during Victoria's reign and was a favourite for Edwardian parents. On the 1851 UK census 65 males were named Bertram (11 Bartram, 10 Bertrand). By the 1901 UK census the number had risen astonishingly to more than 13,000 males named Bertram (with 684 Bertrands), and was over 17,000 on the 1911 census. In 1904 in England and Wales the name ranked #74 and was #77 in 1914. The name fell out of the Top 100 by 1924 and steadily declined since that time. From 1996 to 2006 the name received a count of between 5 and 16 each year, ranking #924 at its peak. In 2010 it had a slightly higher count of 18 births, giving it a rank of #1344.  Only one boy as given the name in Scotland in 2010; it did not rank at all in 2011.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Bertram of St Genesius (c.1258–1350) was Patriarch of Aquileia from 1334 to 1350. He was known for being a skilled diplomat and patron of the arts.  * Master Bertram or Bertram of Minden (c. 1340–1415) was German Gothic painter. * Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue (1869–1924) was a notable American neo-gothic architect.  * Bertram Fletcher Robinson (1870–1907) was a British journalist and author.   * Admiral Sir Bertram Home Ramsay (1883–1945) was an important figure in WWII. * Bertram Brooker (1888–1955) was a Canadian artist and author, regarded as the first Canadian abstract impressionist.  * Bertram Brockhouse (1918–2003) was a Canadian physicist and winner of the Nobel Prize in 1994.   Literature: * Shakespeare used Bertram in his play All's Well That Ends Well. * Bertram Wilberforce Wooster "Bertie Wooster", is a character from the Jeeves series by P. G. Wodehouse.

Variants:

Bertramus, Bertrannus (Latin) Bertrand (French) Beltran (Spanish) Bertrando (Italian)

Pronunciation:

BER-trəm  [key]

Possible diminutives:

Bertie, Bram, Bart, Bartie, Bret, Tam

Sibling Names:

Helena      Beatrix      Adela      Cecilia      Amabel      Flora  Leopold      Fabian      Anton      Rufus      Edmund     Hector

Name Lists:

Funky-Clunky   Upright Elegance   Victorian Darlings   Shakespearean   Operatic Appellations   Harry Potter   Birds

 

If you like Bertram you may also like:   Rupert, Arthur, Caspar, Edgar, Benedict, Hugo, Cedric, Percival, Linus, Maximus

 

This post was revised July 2012.