Colbert

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A family name borne by notable people, especially the 17th-century French finance minister and the American comedian and television host
2. A surname shared by prominent figures such as a seventeenth-century French statesman and a modern American satirist and talk show host
3. Used as a family name for well-known individuals, including a French royal minister of the 1600s and an American late-night comedian

Etymology: Colbert began as a Germanic personal name, formed by joining two elements that each had a plain meaning. The first, Proto-Germanic "kōlaz," meant cool, cold, or calm. The second, "berhtaz," meant bright. Together they paired calm with brightness. Germanic personal names were typically built this way, by combining two word-elements from a shared stock. A name of this kind could be given to a child and later settle into a family name, which is how the personal name became a surname. The comedian's surname therefore descends from that original two-part name. Its bearers did not choose its meaning, but the components have stayed the same since the name was first formed.