Roberta is the feminine of Robert — from the Old Germanic *hrod* ("fame") + *beraht* ("bright") — "bright fame." **A top-100 US baby name from 1924 to 1947, peaking at #44 in 1936**. **Roberta Flack (1937-2025)** — **American singer and pianist; the first artist to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in two consecutive years — "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (1973) and "Killing Me Softly with His Song" (1974)**; her duets with Donny Hathaway defined 1970s soul; classically trained pianist who entered Howard University at age 15. **Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame; Lifetime Achievement Grammy (2020)**. **Roberta Bondar (born 1945)** — Canadian neurologist and astronaut; the first Canadian woman and the first neurologist in space (STS-42, 1992); Companion of the Order of Canada. **Roberta Vinci (born 1983)** — Italian tennis player; famously defeated Serena Williams in the 2015 US Open semifinal, ending Serena's Grand Slam bid; doubles World No. 1. **Roberta Williams (born 1953)** — American video-game designer; co-founder of Sierra On-Line; created the *King's Quest* series; pioneer of the graphic adventure game. ***Roberta* (1935)** — RKO musical with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers; introduced the standard "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes."
Featured throughout 20th-century music, science, and gaming.
Roberta reduces to nine — the number of Killing Me Softly.