The English and French surname Lambert is derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements land ‘land, or territory’ and  berht ‘bright, or famous’. In England, the native Old English form Landbeorht was replaced by Lambert, the Continental form of the name that was taken to England by the Normans from France. The name gained wider currency in Britain in the Middle Ages with the immigration of weavers from Flanders, among whom St. Lambert or Lamprecht, bishop of Maastricht in around 700, was a popular cult figure. In Italy the name was popularized in the Middle Ages due the fame of Lambert I and II, Dukes of Spoleto and Holy Roman Emperors. Today there are approximately 91,000 bearers of the surname Lambert living in The United States.