Origin and Meaning of Rabbie

Rabbie is one of the nicknames for Robert, and is a Scottish form of Robbie. Robert comes from the Old High German Hrodperht, and means “shining fame.” Other German forms of Robert are Rupert and Ruprecht. The Anglo-Saxons adopted the name Robert, and after the Norman Conquest, it became very popular; one of William the Conqueror’s sons was named Robert. It’s still popular, and there are forms of Robert in many languages.

A pet form of the name Rabbie is Rab.

Famous Rabbies

The name Rabbie has a varied background. It’s shared by Rabbie Dungeon, a location in the online multiplayer game Mabinogi World, and Sir Rabbie Namaliu, the former Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea.

It’s also shared by the Scottish king Robert the Bruce, who freed Scotland from the English. But most famously, it’s the nickname of Robert Burns, Scotland’s most beloved poet. Robert, or Rabbie Burns, was a farmer’s son and largely self-educated. He was a poetic genius who wrote “A Red, Red Rose,” “To a Mouse,” and the world-famous “Auld Lang Syne”.

Popularity of Rabbie

Rabbie was not in the top 100 names in 2014. However, Robert was number 50.

Useful Resources

Discover the meaning and popularity of other Scottish boys’ names on our website.