Joubert

Joubert is a surname of French origin. It is found in many countries and is particularly common in South Africa and Namibia, where it arrived with Huguenot settlers in the early modern period. As with many surnames, the use and spelling of Joubert have diversified in different linguistic communities.

Notable individuals bearing the name include André Joubert (born 1962), a former South African rugby union player who played as a fullback for the Springboks and was part of the national team that won the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

Joubert is also the name used for Joubert syndrome, a rare autosomal recessive developmental disorder. The condition is characterized by malformation of the hindbrain, specifically cerebellar vermis hypoplasia, and a distinctive MRI finding known as the molar tooth sign. Clinically, it presents with hypotonia in infancy, abnormal eye movements, irregular breathing patterns, ataxia, and varying degrees of developmental delay. Joubert syndrome can be caused by mutations in several different genes, and the severity and associated features vary considerably among individuals.