Of Germanic origin.
From the Old High German name Heribert.
A combination of the name elements “her” and “björt”.
“Her” is associated with the Ancient Germanic “haria”, meaning “army”, the Proto Norse “hariar”, meaning “warrior”, the Old Norse “herr”, meaning “army”, and Old High German “heri”, meaning “army.
“Björt” is associated with the Old Norse “bjartr”, meaning “light”, “bright”, “shining”, and the Old High German “beraht”, of the same meaning.
Therefore the meaning of the name Herbert is “bright army” or “bright warrior”.
It is a name introduced in England by the Normans.
Other forms of the name are Herb, Herbie, Bert, Herberto, Hebert, Herby.
Female form of the name is Bertina.
Famous bearers are Herbert Marcuse, Herbert von Karajan, Herbert Spencer, Herbert Lom, Herbert Hoover, Herbert Lang, Herbert Grönemeyer.